Don't Let Me Go
by BeCreative4
Summary: Ally Dawson has made the brave decision to attend Miami High School (MHS) after being homeschooled since she was in kindergarten. Now, as a junior, with the help of Trish, she makes new friends... Her favorite being a music-lover like herself, Austin Moon. They gradually fall head over heels for each other. However, Austin is a senior, headed to college at the end of the summer.
1. First Days & Friendly Guys

**A/N **_This is my first fanfiction for the site. It's Austin&Ally obviously. I hope everyone likes it! PLEASE review, it would mean a lot to me! I love writing, and would love you know your opinions on my skills, and what you think I may need? Just don't be harsh. :) Hehe. Also, I tend to make short chapters, but a lot of them. So, yeah! I'll try to update often but I'm very busy with school and cheerleading and blah blah blah. Anyways, I digress. Here we go!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I ALSO don't own the original image of my cover, but I edited it._

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"How are you feeling, Ally?" Dad asked me as I packed my backpack. "Nervous," I admitted.

My name's Ally Dawson. I've been homeschooled- until today. Today will mark the first day of my Junior year, and, I don't really know what changed my mind, but I want to attend Miami High School. I only have one close friend that goes there, her name is Trish. I just hope I can fit in okay. She actually spent the night with me last night so that I could walk to school with her and she could help me pick out my outfit. I heard her coming down the stairs now.

"Oh, I'm so excited!" She squeaks loudly, "You're gonna get to meet so many new people, Ally! And you're so sweet, everyone will love you."

I grin. "Thanks, Trish."

My dad hugs me, tells me he thinks I'm making a good decision, then leaves to go to Sonic Boom. I help out there after I finish class sometimes, but he says I can have a few weeks off to socialize and get to meet new people. He's great. It's hard not having my mom around since she's in Africa, but I'm okay.

Trish grabs my hand and pulls me out the door. The school is so close to my house, there's really no need to drive. Besides, I won't have my license for another month, and Trish's car is at her house.

I push some loose hair behind my ear as we walk, and Trish rambles on about the two jobs she's had this week. I feel butterflies in my belly, and I'm glad I didn't eat any breakfast. I would've been sick.

I can see MHS now. It's big; really big. Look at all those teenagers! Wow.

"This is crazy!" I murmur to Trish as so many kids- some younger than me, some older- stare at me as I walk with Trish to her locker. Mine is down the hall from hers but I've decided to stick with her as best as I can today. I only have one class without her, Advanced Physical Science. I'm not too worried though, I've always been good at science.

"Hey, Trish!" I hear an excited voice say. Trish slams her locker to reveal a tall, red-headed, goofy-looking boy standing there. "Long time no see!"

Trish sighs. "I saw you yesterday Dez, remember? At Austin's 'End of the Summer' party?"

This guy- Dez, I guess- suddenly looks as if he remembers and says "Oh yeah!" Then he sees me and looks confused again.

"Oh!" Trish exclaimed, "This is my best friend, Ally. Today is her first day at MHS, she's been homeschooled all years until now!"

Dez nods. "Cool, cool. I think you told me about her before. How come she didn't come to Austin's party? Like all the rising juniors and seniors were there."

"I didn't want to come," I say quickly, "I wanted to get plenty of sleep for today."

Trish nods. "I went to her house after the party last night. I tried to get her to come, trust me." She pulls a tube of lip gloss out of her large purse and begins to apply it. "So, Dez, how does it feel to finally be a senior? Lucky you."

Dez's face lights up with a huge grin. "It's awesome! Austin and I are gonna make this the best yea-"

Just then, the bell rings, and Trish and I realize we haven't even been to my locker yet. "Gotta run, see ya Dez!" Trish calls, and we scurry off.

As we walk to our first class, I begin to wonder who this so called Austin is. He seems insanely popular, from what I've heard so far. I've even heard Trish talk about him and Dez some, the three of them seem to be pretty close.

As we sit down at our seats in class, a boy walks in. He has bleached blonde hair and a cute smile. He's wearing a tight grey shirt with ripped jeans and blue shoes. He has a guitar pick around his neck.

He comes and sits next to Trish, and nods at me. "Is this Ally?" He asks. And she nods quickly. "Ally, this is Austin Moon."

Oh, well, I guess that answers my question then, doesn't it? No wonder he was so popular. He was gorgeous.

"Hi, I've heard all about you from Trish. She never shuts up." I blush.

"Neither does Ally once you get to know her, trust me." Trish huffed, and Austin chuckles. "She seems kinda quiet right now. Don't worry, she won't be for long. Welcome to the real life of a Miami teenager, Ally. You're gonna love it."

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**A/N **Don't forget to review! :) Thanks


	2. Physical Science & Party Invites

**A/N** _I'm sorry that the chapter is short! D: I get impatient while writing and I just wanna get it over with so I can start a new chapter haha! So, yeah, there will probably be a ton of short chapters. Oh, well. I'm still really excited about this fanfic! I hope you are, too. :) Don't forget to review after reading! Thanks!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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It's the moment I've been dreading- Third period. My only class without Trish. Ugh, I hope it's a nice teacher. Ugh, I hope it's nice students. Ugh, I hope it's an easy class. Ughhh!

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I really am kinda worried. I feel like a lost puppy or something without Trish. I've always kind of been my own person, but Trish is an exception. I've known her since we were little, because our moms are friends too. She's a little older than me, but it wouldn't matter if she was or not. I would still look up to her.

I get to class early. There's only three people in there- Me, some kid with huge round glasses in the front, and, who else but Austin Moon.

I decide to take my chances and sit next to him. "Oh, hey Ally!" He greets me with a grin. Relief overflows through my veins. "Hi," I reply.

He looks around me. "Where's Trish?" He asks. I sigh. "This is the only class I have without her."

He nods. "I bet this is weird for you, coming in here into this new environment and all. And Miami High is crazy. All kinds of people." He shakes his head. "Hey, I'm having a party this weekend if you want to come. I'm sure Trish is coming, you can tag along with her."

I nod slowly. He seems to have a lot of parties. "What kind of party, exactly?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Bonfire, bunch of juniors and seniors. A little bit of drinking, but not much. But the parents can't find out about them or I'll be ruined. Me and my big brother, Ian, have them a lot. Dez helps out a lot, too. We have them down on the beach where no one really goes. It starts at 8. Trish will show you exactly where to go."

I smile. "Thanks. Sounds fun. I don't really drink, but still, sounds... Fun."

He chuckles, and begins messing with his pencil. I grab my Book from my pile of text books, and begin flipping through. It's where I keep all my secrets and lyrics that I write. I like to have it with me at all times.

As I'm flipping, I hear Austin humming a little upbeat tune, and he begins tapping his pencil. It was nice. Relaxing, cool. I remember the guitar pick around his neck. "Do you like music?" I butt in, before I really realize what I've said. I smack my hand over my mouth when he looks at me.

"Sorry, that was rude, I-"

He holds up a hand, chuckling. "You're too tense. Ease up, it's funner... Is that a word? Anyways, yes, I do love music. It's my passion. I can play a ton of instruments... I'm not trying to brag, but I can. And singing and performing is awesome. I just wish I could write, you know? That would be awesome."

I grin. "I love music too! I play piano, and I can sing, but... I choose not to in public. I have bad stage fright. But I write all my own songs."

He looks surprised, then notices my book. "Is that where you keep your lyrics?" He asks.

I nod, suddenly self concious, and pull the book closer to my chest.

"That's cool," He says, seeming impressed. "Your family works at Sonic Boom, right? Maybe I can come over sometime and we can work on a song together or something. I have a gig one night out of the month on The Pier. It would be cool to have a song to sing that I helped write."

I nod, taking in what he said. Austin Moon was asking to come hang out with me and write a song. Me. Ally Dawson. Socially awkward homeschooled girl. "Sounds great." I say with a smile. The bell rings just then, and I notice that the classroom has filled up around us. The teacher comes in, and I get out my notebook so I can begin writing what she may have to say. I can't wait to tell Trish about this.

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**A/N **Once again, sorry it's so short! Next chapter will have some Auslly in it. :) I might can even get Chapter 3 put up today because we're out of school. I love writing these! I will probably update really fast these next few days. Try to keep up ;)

**_Review!_**Thanks!


	3. Parties & Police

**A/N **_Wow! This was a really long chapter for me. I hope you guys like it! I'll have a cover for the story up by tomorrow. There's some Auslly, just like I promised. :)_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"Ally, you look awesome!" Trish tells me. I was wearing short shorts with a floral tank top, and we were about to leave for the party. "Thanks, Trish." I say with a grin as I get a good look at myself in the mirror. Trish looked stunning as always, wearing a cheetah print shirt with pink pants.

I had made it through my first week of school successfully. I was so glad I had decided to attend public school, it was so great. I was eager for the future. I was thinking that after I graduate I may want to go to a music school, like the one in New York.

Surprisingly, my favorite class is Advanced Physical Science. It's kind of hard, but Austin has helped me out a little. He hums or taps his feet pretty much all the time. It's entertaining.

It was 7:30. "We need to leave, Trish." I remind her. She nods and grabs her car keys off of my dresser. "It takes about 30 minutes to get there, so we'll be right on time."

After 30 minutes of Trish and I singing in the car, almost running a stop sign, and going over the speed limit at least two times, Trish and I finally arrived.

Austin was right about this place being sort of hidden. A fire shown over the bank from where Trish's car and a ton of other cars were parked. The nearest city lights were about three miles down the beach in either direction. The ocean lapped at the sandy shore below where the bonfire was set. When I got out of the car I could see a little more clerly down the bank, and there were a ton of people. They were either sitting around the bonfire or drinking or talking. I could even hear an accoustic guitar being strummed.

"Come on, Ally!" Trish called, and I realized she was making her way down the bank. I hurried after her, nearly tripping along the way. When we finally reached the bottom of the bank, I spotted Austin and Dez and someone else with them. It turns out that Austin was the one with the guitar. He saw us and waved, then set down his guitar and made his way towards us with the guy I didn't recognize. Dez was too busy laughing about something.

Austin reached us and hugged Trish. "Glad you guys could make it!" He said, then he grinned at me. "Ally, this is my brother Ian."

I remembered Austin mentioning Ian. He resembled Austin, but his hair was a more natural, dirtier blonde color. He also had really blue eyes, while Austin's were brown. Ian shook my hand. "I'm glad I finally get to meet you," he says, "Trish says you're a really fun person."

I blush. "Not really," I admit. Trish giggles. Austin grins. "Come on, guys." He tells us. We follow him, and Trish goes to sit with some girl I saw her talking to one time. I don't really know where to go, so I just follow Austin. He heads for a small table near the bonfire, where I can see that there are bottles of vodka and red solo cups. "Want some?" He asks me. I shake my head, and reach for a bottle of water instead. He nods. "I don't ever drink at my own parties. Ian does, though, and Dez." He points to the ginger boy, sitting near the fire, still laughing, hunched over and gripping his stomach. Now I could recognize that he was drunk.

I can hear Austin laughing at him. "He's one of those stupid drunks. Ian is one of those guys that you can't really tell he's drunk until he's plastered." Now I see Ian, with a red solo cup in his hand, sitting next to two blondes, grinning. "Is he drunk right now?" I ask, and Austin nods. "Definitely."

I examine the crowd. Mostly girls, a lot of them tipsy. There were quite a few guys here too, though. I saw one couple making out in the sand further off.

"Can you swim?" Austin asks me, breaking the silence. I nod slowly. "Why?" I ask. He grins. "Let's go, then." He says. I'm kind of taken aback. "Now?" I ask, looking behind him to the water. "Yeah, why not?" He asks, leaning against the table. I just shrug. Suddenly, he grabs my hand and pulls me, beginning to run. "Hey!" I laugh, and I drop my water bottle somewhere in the sand.

When we reach the edge of the ocean, he pulls off his tee shirt and jumps in without hesitation. He soon appears at the surface of the water and shakes out his hair. "Come on, pansy!" He calls. I giggle, and stand there with my arms crossed. "Or what?" I call. Suddenly he swims towards me and climbs out of the water, and grabs my arms. "Or this," he says, and throws me in.

I can't help but laugh at his playful manner when I come to the surface, even though my hair is ruined and I'm now going to be soaked. He laughs, too. "Glad you came to the party," he says, "this is the real high school experience right here. Going out and having fun. Staying young and wild." He sighs happily, and floats on his back.

"I can't believe that I was missing all this the whole time," I whisper, "I wish I would have attended public school earlier."

He shrugs. "At least you're getting the experience now." He points out. "Hey, are we still gonna write a song?" He asks me. I give him a 'well duh' look, and he snorts in laughter. "Okay, then. When?"

"How about tomorrow?" I ask him. Tonight was friday, so I would have plenty of free time tomorrow since I still wasn't working at Sonic Boom yet. He nods, and says, "That will work."

We get out of the water and sit by the waves to dry off while having a conversation. Suddenly, he shushes me. I stare at him confused. And then, I hear it.

The blaring of a police car siren.

His eyes get huge, and he hops us really fast and begins running towards the fire. I follow him as fast as I can. He grabs his guitar and begins yelling to his friends as the blue lights begin to appear over the bank. "Everybody run! Cops!" He calls, and it's amazing how fast everyone hops up and begin darting down the beach. I lose sight of Trish in the frenzy.

"Trish!" I call, beginning to panic, but Austin grabs my arm. "Forget her, come on!" He snaps, and I obey and follow him as the cops make their way down the bank.

"Where do we go?" I gasp as we're running.

"We have shortcuts along the beach that circle back around to the parking lot, but since you're new here you don't know where they are." That's the only explanation he offers me, so I just keep running with him and a few other kids around us.

"Freeze!" I can hear the cops yell, and suddenly Austin darts up the bank, and I follow. "HURRY!" He calls, and I run even faster. We're with the cars now, with the cops still down on the beach. He begins running towards a yellow mustang, and tells me to get in the passenger seat. Then he gets in the driver's seat, puts his guitar in the back, takes a quick look down the bank, and begins to screech away. All the other cars around us are also trying to escape, and it's a slow process. Austin honks the car horn like mad.

"Come on, Ian, damn it!" He murmurs, panting, still out of breath. "Is he in front of us?" I pant, and he nods. "Yeah, him and Dez are in the truck." The truck in front of us was jacked up high and black. "I thought they were both drunk?" I point out, suddenly worried. Austin nods. "Yeah, but Ian has been drunk when driving so much he's like, used to it. He's fine, trust me."

Finally, the truck moves out of the way and down the road, and Austin quickly follows, just as the cops catch on and make their way back up the bank. We were the last ones in the parking area. We had escaped, and not a single person had been caught.

A large grin crosses Austin's face, and he laughs. "Wow. Okay, that was crazy close." I grin madly. "That was... Fun? I think?" I laugh, and he laughs even harder.

My phone lights up and it's Trish, making sure I hadn't been caught. I tell her I hadn't and that I was with Austin. He tells me to tell her he'll take me home, and then we hang up.

"That was quite a first experience, huh?" He asks me, and I nod. I put my hair up into a messy bun. "Have the cops ever came before?" I ask, and he nods. "Once," he admits, "but no one was arrested that time either."

"We definitely got lucky." I comment, and he just nods.

When we get to my house, I open the car door and step out. "Thanks, Austin." I say with a smile. "It was fun."

He smiles at me and says, "I'll see you tomorrow." Before I close the car door, I think I see him wink at me.

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**A/N **Don't forget to** review, favorite, and follow!** Like I said in my last chapter, I'll be putting up the next few chapters pretty fast. Eventually it will take me a longer time, but for now it will be quick. :) So, I'll either have Chapter 4 up late tonight or tomorrow sometime. Thanks!


	4. Showing Up & Song Writing

**A/N **_Another pretty long chapter! :) Haha. Enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. I groaned as I sat up in bed, my hair still in a messy bun. I was wearing boxers (they're comfortable to sleep in, okay?) and a tanktop. I rubbed my eyes and walked down the stairs barefoot. Dad was at work, so he couldn't answer the door. I glanced at the clock we have in the hallway and realized it was noon. Shocked I had slept in so late, I hurried to the door as the knocking continued. When I opened the door, I was shocked.

There was Austin Moon, acting all casual. When he saw me, a smile crossed his face. I blushed, suddenly self conscious of what I was wearing. "Austin!" I hissed, closing the door a little more, "What are you doing here?! I said we would meet at Sonic Boom!"

He giggled. "I know, I went there and your dad said that you weren't there so I should come here. So, here I am." He leaned against the wall.

I sighed. "Couldn't you have called me or something to let me know you were coming?"

He shrugged. "I would, but I'm afraid you never gave me your number."

I scoffed and opened the door, giving up, and let him in. He made his way to the couch and sat down. "Okay..." I sighed, "I'm going to go take a shower and then we'll go to Sonic Boom. The TV remote is on the coffee table, there's drinks in the refrigerator. I'll try and hurry."

He nodded, so I scurried up the stairs, gathered a tee shirt and shorts and a pair of black Converse, stripped my clothes, and showered. When I got out I just dried my hair and put it back into a pony tail instead of curling it. I wanted to give him the impression that I didn't have anyone to impress.

When I came back down the stairs, he was on the couch with an empty can of soda in his hand. He smiled at me, and got up. "About time," he said, raising an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my Book off the counter. "Come on, let's go."

In the car, I decided to bring up something to break the silence. "Do you have a beat in mind? Or any lyrics?"

He shrugged. "I was hoping to go for a more slow song, because most of the songs I sing at The Pier are fast and upbeat. I thought maybe it could be a little more... I don't know, maybe even sad? I want to audience to really feel the song, for it to get to them."

I nodded, quickly writing everything that he said in my Book. "Okay, that's good." I said. "Most the songs I write are slow anyways."

When we got to Sonic Boom, I greeted my dad and then led Austin up to the practice room. "Woah," he said, "it's really cool in here. Is all this yours?"

I smiled. "Yeah, my dad bought me all this for my birthday a few years ago. It really comes in handy." I lead him over to the piano, sat on the bench, and patted the seat next to me to motion for him to come over.

He sat, and ran his fingers lightly over the keys. "Nice piano." He commented. "Thanks." I replied, flipping through my book for some melody beats I hadn't yet put into a song. I found one, finally, and asked him if he liked it as I slowly played it on the piano. He nodded, grinning. "I love that." He commented, and I smiled, taking my hands off the keys. "You play it." I instructed. He scoffed and said, "What is this, a piano lesson?" Then he began matching my melody perfectly. I laughed. "Okay, good. Now, we need a first verse..."

**_3 Hours Later_**

_Some things we don't talk about_

_Rather do without_

_And just hold the smile_

_Falling in and out of love_

_The same damn problem_

_Together all the while_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

Our first verse was finished, and it took us forever to perfect it. I mostly wrote the lyrics, but he threw in a few lines in here and there. I'm pretty impressed with it, so far.

"What do you think for the chorus?" I asked. He shrugged. "I've noticed that in most songs, the parts that really touch you the most are the parts that only say one thing. Like, over and over again."

I nod, slowly letting what he was saying process. "What do you think these lyrics are basically saying?" I ask him. He stares at them, written down in my Book for a minute before answering, "To never let them go."

I nod, with a grin. "That's good!" I answer, then begin playing on the piano again, and singing:

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

I look over at him. "Perfect." He mouthed, and I smile at him. We practice the first verse and the chorus over and over again until it's perfect, and then we realize that we're starving.

"Let's stop for today. We'll go get something to eat in the food court. Can I come back over tomorrow, and we'll finish it? My gig is in two weeks, so I'd like to get it finished so that we can perfect it." He says to me. I nod. "Okay. We're off to a really good start. I love this song." I comment, and he nods. "Me too," he agrees, "it's deep."

We go to the food court and eat before he drops me off back at my house. To my complete and utter surprise, he walks me to my door. "Thank you so much for doing this for me, Ally." He murmurs. "This means a lot to me."

I smile. "It's what I love doing. And I think we make great partners, Austin." I tell him. I think he blushes. It's silent for a moment, he's looking into my eyes, and I think about how, in movies, this is always where the first kiss happens. But he looks away, and clears his throat. "Right, so, I'll see you tomorrow?" He asks me, and I lower my eyes. "Yeah, okay."

Before he walks off, I joke with him to break the tension. "You can just wait on me at Sonic Boom this time." He acts sad about it and pokes out his lip. "But you're so cute in your boxers!"

I roll my eyes and nudge him off the porch. He waves with a smile as he walks off to his car, and drives off.

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**A/N **_What did you guys think? :) Don't forget to **review, favorite, and follow! **_

_What do you think will be the outcome of this story? :)_


	5. Never Say Never & New Feelings

**A/N **_I'll apologize in advance for the excessive use of lyrics haha! Anyways, hope you like it. :) It's kinda long again._

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

I make my way to Sonic Boom, where Austin and I will be finishing our song. Today I've gone a little dressier, but still casual, with shorts and a red tanktop with a denim jacket. My hair was curled, like usual, but in a ponytail again.

I greet dad like I always do when I walk into the store, but he calls me over to where he is behind the counter. "What have you and that boy been working on? It sounds great." He tells me. I then realize that the door wasn't closed yesterday while Austin and I were writing. I make a mental note to myself to shut the door today. "A song for a gig he has on The Pier every month." I explain. Dad nods, then dismisses me as a customer comes through the door.

I walk on upstairs to the practice room to find Austin sitting on the couch, going through a pile of CDs I have. He looks up at me and gets off the couch when I walk in the room. "Hey!" He greets me, "Ready to get started?" He asks. I nod and shut the door before making my way over to the piano. He comes and sits next to me.

"Any new ideas?" I ask him, and to my surprise, he nods. "I was thinking, when I was trying to fall asleep last night, about the song. I thought the next few lines could go something like this..."

He begins playing and singing, his voice leaving me in awe as it always does:

_Picture, you're the queen of everything_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

I smile when he finishes the start of the verse. "That's nice, how did you come up with that?" I ask him. He shrugs and smiles. "Somehow it just came to me. And I don't know how, because I've never been able to write lyrics before. Maybe you're rubbing off on me." As he says his last comment he grins and nudges my shoulder. I roll my eyes, and then try to sing and play the lyrics for myself. They sounded nice, rolling off my tongue in harmony.

He smiles. "I love your voice." He murmurs. I feel my cheeks getting hot and I clear my throat. "Thanks." I reply.

His eyes light up. "Why don't you sing with me at my gig? The crowd would love you!"

I feel my heart fall. "Austin, I can't do that. I have terrible stage fright."

His smile fades. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Just think about it at least, though. Because I think that you would really enjoy it."

I shrug. "I doubt it. Let's keep working on the song."

We decide that the second verse can consist of Austin's lyrics, and some more that him and I come up with pretty fast, to my surprise. Then the second verse would end a little bit like the ending of the first verse. So, it went something like this:

_Picture, you're the queen of everyhing_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

_I will be your guardian_

_When all is crumbling_

_To steady your hand_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_Time, time, time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

I smile as we finish the second verse, then attach the chorus onto it:

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

He high fives me. "This is great, Ally! Awesome. Now all we need is a really deep ending to pin onto the end of it, and we'll be finished writing it, and I can perfect it for the gig!"

He seemed so excited, I couldn't help but smile with him. "Then let's finish it." I say, and he nods eagerly. "It needs to be something about how, no matter what, they always come back to eachother." I say. He looks thoughtful. "Like, pulling apart? And coming together again?"

I grin widely. "Perfect!" I say, and begin jotting down the ending:

_We're pulling apart and coming together, again and again_

_We're growing apart but we pull it together, pull it together, together again_

I sing them and play them, and then he does the same. He makes it sounds so beautiful, it even touches me, even though I came up with it. We fit in and instrumental. And then we pin the chorus, which repeats four times this time, onto the end. And then we're finished with our song. It's perfect.

_Some things we don't talk about_

_Rather do without_

_And just hold the smile_

_Falling in and out of love_

_The same damn problem_

_Together all the while_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Picture, you're the queen of everything_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

_I will be your guardian_

_When all is crumbling_

_To steady your hand_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_Time, time, time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_We're pulling apart and coming together again and again_

_We're growing apart but we pull it together, pull it together, together again_

_Oh, don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

Austin stands up, and I stand up too. Then he picks me up, and spins me around. I laugh playfully and yell "Put me down!" Finally, both of us laughing, he sets me down, and I have to grab onto his arm to steady myself.

He smiles at me, and genuinely says "Thank you."

I grin up at him. "Anytime."

His eyes widen. "You mean it?" He asks me, and I nod. "Ally, that's awesome! We can be partners, and we can do this once a month before my gig... It'll be perfect, just like that song. Just like..." But he trails off.

I raise an eyebrow. "Just like what?" I ask, and he shyly shakes his head and says "Nothing." I don't push him any further about it.

I call Trish and he calls Dez, and they meet us at the ice cream shop to celebrate. As I look over at the childish blonde haired boy, I can't help but grin at him as he laughs at some joke Dez has told about his hangover from friday night. His manor was just adorable. I could definitely see this boy and I being music partners. Best friends. Maybe more, but for right now, things were just how I wanted them.

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**A/N**_Woo! Hope you liked it. :) I will be home all day tomorrow also, so I can continue posting chapters really fast. Yaay! Haha, anyways, don't forget to** review, favorite, and follow!** Thank you all so much for your support, I really appreciate all the nice reviews I'm getting. :) _


	6. Gigs & Getting Started

**A/N** _ONCE AGAIN, I will apologize for the excessive use of lyrics in advance. But after this chapter, you won't have to see the lyrics for a while! Even though it's an amazing song, it's get's old having to read it time and time again, right? :) Enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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_2 Weeks Later_

I was at The Pier with Austin, and he was about to go on stage. I had rejected his countless begging of me performing with him, I just wasn't ready for it. He was doing sound check now, the crowd beginning to gather. I looked over at Trish, who had come with me. Dez and Ian were there too, but they always came to Austin's gigs. The helped him set up the stage and stuff, so they were up there now. Ian was hooking up a cord to a speaker and Dez was adjusting the mic on Austin's piano. Tonight was a special night for Austin. He almost always performed with a guitar, but tonight, he was using The Pier's piano.

"This is so exciting, Ally! I can't believe you and Austin wrote a song, I can't wait to hear it!"

Austin and I decided not to let our friends hear the song until tonight. I smiled at Trish. "Thanks. I think we make a great team." I reply to her. She rolls her eyes and says, "I think you're more than a great team."

I give her a questioning looks, and she scoffs. "Oh come on Ally! We all know that you and Austin have chemistry! Just look at you two, you would be perfect together." Trish exclaims. I shake my head. "Maybe later, but not now. Things are working out great!"

Trish shrugs. "You better hurry, then. Because you only have until the end of the year, then Austin will be headed for college who knows where."

I push the thought out of my head, dismissing her. I didn't want to think about that right now.

Luckily, Austin began speaking into the mic. "Hey guys, what's up!" he began, and everyone cheered. "I'm Austin Moon, and I'll be performing a song on the piano for you tonight. I recognize a lot of faces in this crowd, and I bet you're all wondering why I'm going to be on the piano instead of the guitar. Well, this song I wrote with my new music partner, who plays piano, so we wrote it on that, and she just happens to be an amazing song writer. I want you all to give my partner Ally Dawson a round of applause, because she had as much to do with this song as I did."

Austin's speech made me blush as everyone clapped for me. He smiled at me from the stage and winked, and I just smiled and looked at my red toe nails through my flip flops.

Austin cleared his throat before he began to sing. The crowd hushed and looked up at him expectantly.

And then, he began with the first verse:

_Some things we don't talk about_

_Rather do without_

_And just hold the smile_

_Falling in and out of love_

_The same damn problem_

_Together all the while_

Trish's mouth dropped as he sang. "Ally, this is really good so far!" I smile at her, and continue watching.

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

I noticed the crowd swaying a little now. He busted into the chorus, and the whole crowd was awed.

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

I could now see what he meant about how one thing being repeated kind of had a bigger affect on you. It was like it was able to dig deeper into your soul, and keep you paralyzed.

Austin looked at me and smiled as he went into the second verse. I gave him a thumbs up, and he winked at me. Dang, why does he always do that? It really gets to me.

_Picture, you're the queen of everything_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

_I will be your guardian_

_When all is crumbling_

_To steady your hand_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_Time, time, time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

The crowd knew that the chorus was coming and they began singing it with him, and waving their hands. They loved it. Chills ran through me as Austin sang the final verse:

_We're pulling apart and coming together, again and again_

_We're growing apart but we pull it together, pull it together, together again_

I looked over at Trish. Tears were forming in here eyes, I couldn't believe it! We had brought Trish de la Rosa to tears! That never happens. Never. She noticed me looking at her, snickering, and she quickly wiped her eyes. I looked over to Dez, next to Trish, who was bawling dramatically. No surprise there. Ian was just smiling, as if saying, 'that's my little brother up there'.

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

He repeated this three more times, really putting some emotion into it. I had never heard the song performed this well. It's like he does best when he's up on stage. But this is my first time seeing him here, so I wouldn't really know.

When he finishes, the crowd breaks out in outrageous applause. He smiles so big. It was cute. He says into the mic, "Thank you, everyone. I appreciate it." But you can barely hear him because of all the cheering.

He finally comes off stage, and people are beginning to depart, some coming up to Austin and praising him. When he got to me, he hugged me so tight I thought I would suffocate.

Dez was still bawling. Austin rolled his eyes, and Ian fist pumped him. "Way to go, little brother." Ian said and Austin grinned. "Thanks."

Ian takes the distraught Dez home, and Trish decides to go home too because she has to get up for some job tomorrow morning. Austin and I lean against the side of the railing and look down into the ocean.

He breaks the silence. "That's the best performance I've ever had, Ally. And I owe it all to you."

I shrug. "It was nothing, Austin. They love you. You're just great at performing."

He blushes. "Thanks. I want to make it up to you, so-"

I cut him off by holding up my hand. "You're making it up to me already. Because you've performed my song, and you'll be performing more. That's all I could ever ask for from you, Austin."

He smiles and runs his hand through his hair. "It's getting late, I guess I should get you home?" He suggests, and I nod. "I suppose."

Our future was just getting started, I imagined many nights up here on The Pier with him as he awes the crowd. I could get used to this.

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**A/N** _Uh oh! I see some foreshadowing in this chapter! But I'm not telling you where. :) Tell me where you think it is in a review. __I plan on progressively putting more Auslly into this. Really excited about this fanfic, guys. :) Love all your nice reviews. Speaking of, don't forget to **review, favorite, and follow!**_


	7. Bestfriend Days & Bag Notes

**A/N** _Not a very exciting chapter, but I'm having a bit of writer's block today. Meh. Enjoy. :)_

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_**DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also don't own "Can't Do It Without You"_

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The buzzing of my phone wakes me up, and I roll over and look at my alarm clock.

9:08.

I groan and roll over again to my night stand and grab my phone. It was from Austin, who I finally gave my number to:

**Wake up Ally! BESTFRIEND DAY!**

I couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. It was a Sunday morning, about a week after his gig at The Pier when he performed our song. Him, Trish, Dez, Ian, and I had decided to go to the beach today.

It's kind of scary how much I've changed since I started attending public school. I'm so much more outgoing and... Happy. I've gotten to know Austin and Dez and Ian a lot better too. They're highly popular, yes, but they're just normal guys. Ian was surprisingly the least popular now, though, because he had graduated from MHS two years ago. He had never even applied to a college, deciding to stay at home and work. Trish and I went to another one of their parties last night where, thankfully, the cops didn't show up. I even went all out and had a small amount of vodka.

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes, clearing my vision, and quickly replied to his text:

**Fine, I'm up. I'll be there ASAP.**

I decided that it would be pointless to shower, so I went straight to my dresser and found a pretty red bikini. I put my hair up in a messy bun, and grabbed a drawstring bag. I stuffed some suntan lotion, a beach towel, and my iPod into it. And then I grabbed a really baggy sweatshirt to wear over my bikini. I put on some sunglasses, told my dad where I was going, and left.

I was the last one there. They had set up further back in the sand, using a bedsheet as a towel so that there was more room. Trish was the only one on it, though, reading a Cheetah Beat magazine. She looked up at me as I approached.

"Oh, hey Ally." She greeted me. "Hi, Trish. Where are the guys at?" I ask. She answers by pointing down at the water, where the three of them were tossing football, and gaining plenty of attention by passing teenage girls.

I sit down on the towel with her, take off my sweatshirt, and begin applying my suntan lotion. When I'm done, I roll over on my belly to get some sun, and put in my earpods to listen to some music.

I hadnt been laying there long when I felt a huge weight be put onto my back. I gasped for air and pulled out my earpods. "HEY!" I called, squirming. Austin's voice answered me.

"Oh, is that you, Ally? My bad." Then he got off of me and sat next to me on the sheet. Once I caught my breath, I glared at him, and he just smiled. I couldn't be mad at him.

"Okay, guys." Ian sighed, "What are we going to do with with so-called 'best friend day'?" I shrugged, and Trsih replied, "We hadn't really planned anything spectacular. We just said, 'let' go to the beach'. And then we called it a 'best friend day'." She looked thoughtful, then added, "Man, you guys, we're like five year olds or something."

We all laugh, and Dez says, "Austin was the one who came up with that." Austin grins and shrugs his shoulders. "Hey, I'm a child at heart."

Ian rolls his eyes and punches his brother on the shoulder. We all decide to just lay there and tan for a little bit. Austin looks over at me eventually and says, "Hey, Ally, gotten any new ideas for lyrics?"

I shrug in reply. "I haven't thought that much about it." He just nods, dismissing me, and turns his head the other way.

After the beach, we went to the food court and ate some ice cream, then we all went back to Austin and Ian's house to watch a movie or two. By the time that was over with, it was already 8:30, and we had school the next day.

"We should probably leave, guys. It's a school night." I remind them. Austin rolls his eyes. "Goody two-shoes Ally. But she's right."

At home, I emptied out my bag, and was surprised when a note fell out onto my floor. I unfolded it, and it read:

_There's no way I could make it without ya_

_Do it without ya_

_Be here without ya_

_-Austin :] (thoughts for some new lyrics, btw.)_

I grinned. When would he have gotten the chance to put this in my bag? I shake off the thought and jot down the lyrics in my song Book, deciding that this could be the start to another great song. I wondered whether he was talking about me in the lyrics, but I decided against it, figuring that he was just trying to decide on a good moral for a song.

I went to sleep, repeating the lyrics in my head. Even if they didn't really mean anything to him, they meant something to me.

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**A/N **_I'll have chapter 8 up sometime today, but I'm not completely sure when. Like I said earlier, I'm having a bit of writer's block lol. Anyways, tell me what you thought, and don't forget to** review, favorite, and follow!** Thanks guys :) xoxo_


	8. All-Nighters & Awkward Classes

**A/N **_I'm really sorry that this is such a short chapter! I'll try to have a longer one up later tonight if at all possible! I'm not sure hoe much I'm going to be able to update this weekend, so I'll apologize in advance for that. This has a tad of Auslly in it, not much. I've had some requests to have some more Auslly put in, and all I can say is that I have a plan for this story, and you just need to be patient. :) I'm hoping for this fanfic to have a lot of chapters, so the friendship needs to be kind of drawn out. It takes place over an entire school year, so, yeah! Please bear with me guys, and keep reading! ;) xoxo_

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_**DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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I wake up, my head fuzzy and my thoughts not very clear. When my vision goes straight, I realize I'm laying against the piano in the practice room, Austin in the floor next to me.

I then remembered how we were attempting to pull an all-nighter to finish Austin's next song. I guess we totally passed out in the process. I check my phone, and then I immediently hop up. "AUSTIN!" I screech, and he sits up too fast and hits his head on the side of the piano. "Ow!" He groans, "What, what's the... Did we fall asleep?" And then he busts out laughing. I pull him off the floor. "It's 9 in the morning!" I gasp. He looks confused. "So?" He asks. I close my eyes in frustration. "It's Tuesday, Austin! We're missing school right now!"

He shrugs, obviously unimpressed. "Well, we'll go to my place and get showered and stuff then go to school. No biggie."

I slap my forehead. "Austin, I've never been this late to school!"

He grins. "There's a first time for everything. Besides, we're already late, so there's no reason to rush. I'll take you by your house and you can grab some clothes. Then we'll go to my house and get ready."

I sigh. "Okay, but, why your house? Why not mine?"

"The only bathrooms with showers in your house are the ones in your room and your dad's room. At my house, there's one in my room and across the hall, so we can get ready faster." He points out, as if I'm stupid.

"Fine, let's go."

I just grabbed some black Converse and some capris and a tee shirt in my room. I figured there was no reason to go all out now. I hurried back to Austin's car, where he was waiting with the music blasting. It was a short ride to his house.

He gave me a towel and whatever I would need. "Sorry," he murmured, "but Ian and I don't really have girly hair products or anything, so... Just make do with what you got." Then he winked at me and went to his room.

I sighed. Great, I thought, I should have just stayed home and walked to school.

After a short, torturous shower between trying to decide which body wash smelled less masqueline, I finally got out and toweled off. That's when I discovered that there also wasn't a hairdryer in this bathroom.

I sighed in frustration and walked down the hall. I knocked loudly on Austin's door, and he opened it soon after- shirtless.

I gulped and tried not to stare at his body as I calmly said "I need a hairdryer." I saw his face get pink and he kind of giggled as he said "Okay, hang on." Then he walked to his bathroom.

I was kind of confused until I realized I hadn't put on my capris yet. I was standing there in my lace panties and tee shirt, my hair dripping wet. I thought I would die of embarrassment right there, but then Austin returned with a hairdryer, a smile on his face.

"Um..Er..Uh.. Thanks..." I stammered, then put my head down and began scurrying back down the hall. Before I shut the door, I heard him whistle at me. I couldn't help but giggle at at him. I was glad he could lighten the situation like that. I was really glad I had a close friend like him.

When we finally got to school, at 10:30, I nearly tripped trying to hurry into the building, and Austin laughed at me. "Relax, Ally. Like I said, we're already last, there's nothing we can do about it."

I just nodded, and we walked to 3rd period together since that's the class we should be in right now. We got a ton of suspicious looks, and my cheeks were red by the time we made it to our desks. I got plenty of dirty looks from some other senior girls in the class.

Austin kept his cool and calmly laid back in his seat, putting his hands behind his head. That was easily the most awkward Advanced Physical Science class I had ever attended.

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**A/N** _Next chapter will probably be up by tonight. :) It will have a lot more Auslly in it, and maybe even some... Accusations? ;) hehe, stay tuned! **Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	9. Gossip & Girlfriend Talk

**A/N **_Yay, chapter 9! Okay, guys, enjoy this chapter, because after this one, it may be a day or two before I can update. If you're lucky, I MIGHT can get another one up later tonight, but don't get your hopes us! :) All just depends, so just bear with me! It has some Auslly in it, per your request. :) It gets better though, eventually. Hope you all enjoy it. And I also hope you all know how much I appreciate you all! :) Thank you soo much! xx_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

I was startled when I shut my locker door to find Trish standing there with her arms crossed. I jumped back, taken aback. "Hey, Trish... What's up?"

Trish narrows her eyes. "Where have you and Austin been all day... And night?" She asks. I just cock my head at her. "We fell asleep when we were writing a song last night so we were late for school. Why do you look so mad?"

Trish shrugged. "People have been talking a little, that's all."

I raise my eyebrow. "Talking? How?"

Trish sighs. "I think people think that you and Austin were, ehrm... Doing 'things' last night. And I mean, it's kind of believable. You and him dissapeared last night and Dez, Ian, or I never saw you. You come in to school late with him, and you smell exactly like him."

I put my face in my hands. "Oh, no, no! Trish! That's not at all the case. Austin is in a rush to get his song finished for his next gig so that we can record it first, since we recorded his last one after we realized people loved 'Never Say Never' so much! We were planning on making an album with the songs we write together! Anyways, long story short, Austin and I tried pulling an all-nighter to finish the song, but we fell asleep, so we had to go to his house to shower and stuff and I ended up having to use some of his and Ian's body wash!"

I was talking really fast now. And Trish was actually kind of smiling now. "Dez also tells me that Austin saw you in your nice, sexy, lace panties?"

I pull my face out of my hands and look at her, eyes huge. "WHAT!" I gasp, "You mean Austin told him about that?! Ugh, it was a total mistake! I needed a hairdryer, and-"

Trish was laughing hysterically now, and she cut me off by putting up her hand. "I believe you, Ally! Calm down! I mean, a lot of other people don't believe you, but that's okay! Austin's a really attractive, nice guy. Wouldn't you rather it be him that you were supposedly getting laid by all night than some ugly guy who-"

This time, I cut off Trish by throwing my hands in the air in frustration. "I really don't need a visualade of my being 'laid' by Austin! Listen, Trish, we've got to do something about this! I'm a total virgin, like, seriously!"

Trish shrugged. "There isn't really anything we can do, Ally. Things like this happen all the time in public high school, it will be okay. You'll just have to let this burn out."

I sigh and realize she's right. The bell interrupts our conversation, so we go to fourth period together, a class we happen to have with Dez. He tells me that Austin told him everything that happened, so he too knows that we weren't doing things all night long. But he does kind of giggle when he repeats the part about Austin seeing me in my underwear. I shake my head and sigh. "Let's not talk about that again." I tell him, and he just nods his head as he tries to hold in his laughter.

Austin finds me after school, and he grabs my shoulders. "Have you heard about us yet?" He gasps. I roll my eyes. "Austin, I think every person in the school has heard about... Us."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Doesn't it bother you?" He asks, and I shrug. "Yeah, it does that people think that about me... But, like Trish told me, I guess we better just let it burn out."

He looks thoughtful for a moment, then he nods. "Yeah, okay. I guess you're right. We still need to finish the song, by the way. You know, since we got... 'Distracted' last night." Then he winks at me. I smile and roll my eyes, glad that Austin can still joke with me even in a time like this.

Austin drives us to Sonic Boom, and we head straight up to the practice room. As I'm setting up my Book on the piano stand, he sits on the couch with his feet propped up on the table in front of him. "That's funny, you know? What people thought about us."

I say "Yeah, totally.", proccupied by the lyrics in my Book.

Then Austin starts talking again. "It wouldn't ever happen, would it? Me and you?"

This gets my attention, and I stop reading. I turn around and face him, still sitting on the bench. He has his arms crossed. "I-I don't guess so... You're not like, embarrassed of me, are you?" I stammer. His eyes get wide. "No, Ally, I'm not. Far from it. It's just... We're so close, and things like this turn in to... Something more sometimes."

I nod slowly as I look at him. "What about our parntership, though? What if we broke up, and..."

Austin shakes his head. "I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend Ally." He murmurs. I just nod, and turn back around in my seat.

Right before I begin playing, I hear him say something to himself.

"Not yet, anyway."

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**A/N **_Hope you guys liked it! Anybody else really excited for Partners & Parachutes? :) Just one more week from Sunday! Yay! Haha, don't forget to** review, favorite, and follow!**_


	10. New Songs & Nervousness

**A/N** _Okay, here it is! I got so excited for writing that I decided to hop on it and post it tonight. Enjoy, sorry for the long song lyrics. :) _

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___**DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also don't own "Can't Do It Without You"_

* * *

_When the crowd wants more_

_I bring on the thunder_

_'Cause you got my back_

_And I'm not going under_

_You're my point_

_You're my guard_

_You're the perfect chord_

_And I see our names together on every billboard_

_We're headed for the top_

_We got it unlocked_

_We'll make 'em say "Hey!"_

_'Cause there's no stopping us_

_When we hit the same but different_

_We're never gonna quit_

_And we'll keep rocking_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_It's no fun when you're doing it solo_

_With you it's like whoa_

_Yeah and I know_

_I own this dream_

_Cause I've got you with me_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_You got the skills_

_And I'm bringing the fire,_

_You're the fuel to my rocket_

_And it's taking us higer_

_Yeah we got my flow_

_And we're blowin' it UP_

_All our fans are gonna scream_

_'Cause they can't get enough_

_We're headed for the top_

_We got it unlocked_

_We'll make 'em say "Hey!"_

_'Cause there's no stopping us_

_When we hit the same but different_

_Were never gonna quit_

_And we'll keep rockin', oh_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_It's no fun when you're doing it solo_

_With you it's like whoa_

_Yeah and I know_

_I own this dream_

_'Cause I've got you with me_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah_

_I keep on rockin' with you_

_Oh, oh, oh_

_And there's no stoppin us_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah_

_I keep on rockin' with you_

_Keep on rockin'_

_I will keep on rockin_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_It's no fun when you're doing it solo_

_With you it's like whoa_

_Yeah and I know_

_I own this dream_

_'Cause I've got you with me_

_There's no way I can make it without you_

_Do it without you_

_Be here without you_

_Woahh_

_Be here without you_

_Woahh_

_Be here without you, out you, out you_

_Be here without you, out you, out you_

I smile as Austin and I finish recording our second song, which is much longer than our first. He hugs me. "Another awesome song, Ally! I can't wait to perform it at the gig in a few weeks."I just grin.

"Are you going to perform with me this time?" He asks me. At first I think he's kidding, but then I can tell my his expression that he's not. I shake my head. "No, Austin, I can't. You know I can't."

He stands up. "But you can, Ally! You could!" He looks at me with pleading eyes. "Ally, this song is all about you and me. It won't be the same unless you're on that stage with me!"

I stare at him. "You mean... When you slipped those lyrics in my bag, you were thinking the song would be about us all along?" I ask.

He nods his head. "Yeah," he says, "I thought you knew that."

I shrug. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But I can't get on that stage with you, Austin... If I try to sing, I'll just freeze up."

He holds my shoulders. "Then just play the piano for me. And I'll sing."

I look into his desperate eyes. Those pools of brown were pleading. "Austin..." I whisper, not knowing what to say. "I need you up there with me, Ally." He murmurs.

And I can't take it anymore.

"Okay..." I murmur back. "But I'm sorry if I mess up." His smile spreads across his face, and he hugs me again. I melt into his hug, not really knowing what to do about what I've gotten myself in to.

Later into the day, I tell Trish about what I had committed myself to. Trish smiled at me and gave an excited hop. "Ally, this is awesome! You're such a great musician, The Pier will love you!"

I shrug, falling back on my bed with a groan. "I hope so. I really don't want to embarrass myself! Austin is counting on me, and I don't want to let him down..."

Trish rolled her eyes and applied some lipgloss while looking in my mirror. "You could never let Austin down, Ally. He needs you for his buisness."

I sit up. "Do you think that's the only reason he likes me to be his partner? For his buisness?"

Trish shakes her head quickly. "No, no! That's not what I meant at all! I think Austin genuinley cares about you, Ally. But you really do help out his buisness. Look at how much more popular he's gotten since he performed 'Never Say Never' last month! They love him, and they love you for helping him. I think you will really be helping him out."

"I think so too!" I hear a voice tell me from my open window. We both spin around and see Dez.

"Dez!" I hiss, "What are you doing here! How did you...?" My room is on the second floor, so how he got up here, I don't know.

Then Austin's head pops up next to his. "Ladder." Austin explains with raised eyebrows. Then he laughs and does some kind of handshake with Dez.

I roll my eyes. "It's late guys." I point out, tapping an imaginary watch on my wrist.

"I know," Austin says, "I just wanted to bring you by a copy of 'Can't Do It Without You'." He explains, and holds out a CD labeled "Austin & Ally - Song #2".

"Thanks, Austin, but... Couldn't you have knocked on the door?"

Dez rolls his eyes. "Now, what fun would that be, Ally?"

We all laugh, then Austin and Dez leave. Trish leaves soon after, declaring she needs her 'beauty sleep'. I flop down on my bed, that bad feeling in my stomach returning. But then I remind myself that I can do it, as long as I have my partner up there by my side.

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**A/N **_I will try to have another chapter up tomorrow night. But please don't get your hopes up, because I have plans for all weekend! I hope you liked it, I was having a bit of writer's block :P don't forget to **review, favorite, and follow!**_


	11. Practicing & Progress

**A/N** _Hey guys! So, I actually started this chapter when I was in school lol. Probably won't be the best. It's also the shortest chapter I have so far! Meh. :) enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"Please welcome my friend and partner, Ally Dawson, to the stage!" Austin said to Trish, Dez, and Ian. We were in the practice room, and Austin was 'helping' me get ready for the performance next week. The three sat in front of the piano, staring at me, testing me...  
I gulped, and began playing, but messed up a few lines in to the song. I sighed with annoyance- this was the second time that I had messed up. I didn't mind Trish, because I used to show her my songs before I met Austin anyway, but Ian and Dez kind of intimidated me.  
Austin sighed and came and sat on the bench next to me. "You need to ease up Ally." Remembrance flashes in his eyes, and he says, "Remember what I said to you that day in Advanced Physical Science? The first day of school, when you asked me if I liked music?"  
When I nodded my head, he said, "Imagine this is the first day of school, all over again. This is like you taking that big step, and deciding to attend public school. You just have to take this big step too, Ally."  
I stared at my hands, silent.  
He lightly punched my shoulder. "There's nothing to worry about. They're nice, understanding people."  
I sigh, and nod. "I'm just... So afraid of embarrassing myself. What if I freeze up? What if I forget the lines? There's endless possibilities of what could go wrong!"  
Austin shrugged. "The key is to not worry about messing up. Then the only thing on your mind is impressing the crowd."  
I liked his way of thinking. He was such an optimist.  
He announced that we were going to try again, and Trish mumbled "It's about time..."  
This time I made it through about half the song before hitting the wrong key, and I just constantly repeated what Austin had said to me in my head.  
He grinned. "Progress, definitely progress. We got this." Then he winked at me.  
Ian stands up. "Hate to do this, little brother, but I have a date in an hour, so I need to go home and wash up." He headed for the door, and called "Good luck, Ally!" Behind him,  
"Thanks, Ian!" I called back. I liked Ian. He was a nice guy. I wondered if that's where Austin got it from.  
Trish rose next. "I've got a job I need to quit." Then she left, waving.  
Then Dez stood up. "I don't really know how this game works, but I'm going to follow them." Then he scurried out the door.  
I shake my head. "Typical Trish." I declare, and Austin nods and adds "And definitely typical Dez."  
We figured we wouldn't get much more accomplished so we went to Austin's house instead, where he watched some horror movie enthusiastically and I leaned against the couch, jotting things down about my stage fright in my Book, until I was interrupted by him nearly falling off the couch as something obviously scary happened.  
I grin and roll my eyes, realizing what a softie this so-called extremely popular, handsome hunk was. But I guess not many people knew him like I did. I liked that he was able to be himself around me.

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**A/N** _Okay, so, a bit of a crappy chapter. My bad, it's a miracle I've been able to update this fast anyway. :) I may have another up by tonight, no promises. Thanks guys! Don't forget to __**review, favorite, and follow!**_


	12. First Performance & First Kiss

**A/N** _Okay. So, this is kind of where Ally conquers her stage fright. After this chapter, things are going to get much more interesting for the Auslly lovers. :) I'm starting to think this story won't be as long as I was originally wanting it to be, but now I'm expressing the idea of a sequel? Tell me what you think in the reviews after you read. :) Thanks, xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "Can't Do It Without You" by Ross Lynch_

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It went by in a blur.  
"Okay, guys, remember that awesome song I performed last month? Remember how I told you about my partner Ally Dawson? Well, we're back, and this time, she's going to be playing the piano for me. Everyone, please give a huge round of applause for my other half, Ally Dawson!"  
The crowd went wild. I walked on to the stage and sat down. And then I began playing.  
I don't really remember the performance, because I kept repeating 'Don't think about messing up. Just impress the crowd'. The only memorable part is when Austin turned around and looked me in the eyes, and sang those lines that were the reason our song came to be:  
_There's no way I could make it without ya  
Do it without ya  
Be here without ya_  
Then, the next thing I can remember is playing those last chords, bowing with Austin by my side, and stepping off stage.  
Now, Austin, Trish, Dez, Ian and I were walking down the beach below The Pier, our shoes in our hands. I couldn't stop smiling, and the others couldn't stop praising me.  
"Such an awesome performance!"  
"It would have been way worse without you up there!"  
"You guys crushed it!"  
My face got hotter with every comment, and I finally just said "Thanks guys. I couldn't have done that without your help."  
Austin stops and holds my shoulder, like he always does when trying to convince me of something. "You're going to be on stage with me from now on, right?"  
I nod. "Definitely." Then I smile, realizing that I can do this.  
He hugs me. "Awesome." He whispers, and I think I see Dez wipe away a fake tear... Or was it real?  
Surprisingly, Trish is the first one to bail this time, because she has homework (I would have too, but I finished it right after school Friday! Boom!), then Dez says that he needs to get home to feed his hamster. Ian leaves after that because, well apparently this is awkward now.  
So, it's Austin and I left, as it always is. The tide is coming in, and we have to watch our step so we don't get washed away.  
All of a sudden, Austin gives me a sneaky look, then picks me up, slings me over his shoulder, and tosses me right in.  
I come up, gasping. "AUSTIN!" I screech, "What was that for?!" That's when I realize that he's right beside me, now in the ocean too, laughing like crazy.  
I push my drenched hair back, about to get mad.  
"It's like the first party of mine you came to!" He says between laughs, "When I pulled you in!"  
As I reminisce, a smile creeps on to my face. "Oh, yeah. That was, like, 2 and a half months ago."  
He nods. "Then the cops came. Man, that was a night to remember."  
I nod my head, lost in the memories.  
We climb out of the ocean, trying not to be pulled away by the current. Once out, I wring out my hair and tie it back in a messy bun with a ponytail holder that was around my wrist.  
He plops down in the sand. "I can't believe we've gotten so close in just two, almost three, months."  
I nod slowly, not really knowing where he was going with this. But, to my surprise, he doesn't continue. Once we're dry, we make our way back to his car.  
I stretch my arms above my head before we get in, then slide in to the passengers seat. I could have gotten my license about a month and a half ago, but I haven't yet, because Austin drives me everywhere now anyways.  
"Get me home fast. It's a school night." I tell him. He cocks an eyebrow at me. "You want fast?" He asks. My eyes get big. "Well, maybe not-"  
Too late. He slams on the gas, and we screech out of the parking lot.  
I scream. "Slowdownslowdownslowdown!" I call, my words slurred together. He's laughing, and soon, I realize that... This is kind of fun. I begin to giggle, the acceleration getting to me. It was like a roller coaster.  
He slowed down when we got near my driveway, and I was still holding in my giggles. "Never do that again." I joke.  
I reach for the handle on his car door, but he grabs my arm.  
I turn around to question him, but I don't have time to say anything before his lips lightly brush mine. It tingles, like a spark.  
He pulls back slowly, and looks me in the eyes. I look at him back.  
"Goodnight." He murmurs. It takes me a minute before I say "Goodnight." Then I slowly get out of the car and walk in to my house, seeming frozen. I watch him drive away from inside.

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**A/N **_Finally what you all were waiting for, I hope? :) Don't forget to answer what I asked you all in the first A/N in a review! Don't forget to __**review,**__**favorite, and follow!**_


	13. Riding Home & Relationships

**A/N** _Okay, Auslly chapter ahead! :) i'm really sorry it's taken me sooo long! i've had a very busy day. Enjoy xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Allynor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. _

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"WHAT!" Trish exclaimed as I told her what had happened the night before. We were at her locker. "Shh!" I pleaded, "I don't need people knowing!"  
Trish was actually excited I think. "I told you this would happen! I knew you had chemistry!"  
I look at her, confused. "You never told me he would kiss me?" I point out. She shrugs, "That's beside the point."  
Dez excitedly runs up to us, sporting a high-pitched scream. "I heard! I heard!"  
I put my palm to my forehead. "Does Austin tell you everything, Dez!" I groan, and he nods quickly. "I think he really likes you, Ally!" He says.  
I nod. "Me too, but what about our partnership? What if it messes things up between us?"  
Trish looks at me questioningly. "Do you like him, Ally?" She asks me. I stare at her.  
What was my answer to that question? Did I like him? I liked the way he smelled, and how gentle he was, and his cheeky smile...  
"I... I guess so." I murmur to Trish.  
She smiles. "I knew you did. I could tell you liked him from day one."  
I frown. "What do I do, Trish?" I whimper, really not knowing what to do. But the bell rings, and we're forced to get to class, where, of course, Austin is.  
He grins at me, and I grin back awkwardly. The tension between us was crazy, and I felt my face getting hot as I sat in my seat.  
"Meet me at my car after school. I'll take you home." He murmured to me, and I nodded.  
The school day seemed to take forever. When it was finally over, I scurried to Austin's car, where he was already seated on the driver's side. There was silent tension in the air.  
Then he turns to me. "Ally, if I came on to you as... I don't know, if I came on too strong, or too quick... Tell me. I need to know whether you feel the way about me like I feel about you. And I know you're probably worried about our partnership or something, but... I think we can make it work."  
I realize that I'm studying my hands, folded in my lap. And then I decide that it's my turn to speak.  
"It's not that I don't like you back, Austin. I think you're awesome. But yeah, our partnership. If we broke up, who would help you out? Of course I still would, but I doubt you'd want me to. And then you're so popular, and I'm so... Not. Well, I'm exceptionally popular, thanks to you and Trish, but still. You have your reputation to worry about. Then, to add on to it all, you'll be leaving for college at the end of the school year..."  
Then, I'm done. What else is there to say, really?  
He stares at me. "I'm not going anywhere, Ally. I've decided I'm going to stay home. Ian and I will start work together."  
Okay, so scratch out the college. But still, did he miss everything else that I had just said?  
He sighs. I realize we're still sitting in the parking lot, less and less cars around us. I wonder what people are thinking.  
"If you didn't have our partnership and my reputation to worry about... What would be your honest answer?" He asks me.  
I look him in the eyes and answer honestly, "My answer would be yes."  
He nods, and takes in what I've just said. "Now imagine that we could make sure not to ruin our partnership. And forget about my reputation, I've got nothing to lose. I'm an 18-year-old who has parties most weekends, who lets his own brother drive drunk, and who lets his parents still pay for his gas money. I'm not as perfect as most people think, Ally."  
I swallow hard. "My... My answer would still be yes."  
He, surprisingly, takes my hand. "Then let's just not let it ruin our partnership. We'll give it a shot, and... And, if it doesn't work out, we'll let it off easy, and continue writing together. That's all I could ever ask for from you."  
I smile and lightly nod. We were now the last ones in the parking lot, so we must have been sitting here a while. So... Were Austin and I officially together? I was pretty sure that I just agreed to be his girlfriend or whatever.  
Huh. Who would have known? Me, homeschooled Ally, dating Austin Moon: multi-talented, party-throwing, fun. It's like what I thought that night Austin performed our first song: I could get used to this.

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**A/N** _I really enjoyed writing this chapter! I think I can have the next one up by tomorrow, I may even get 2 up tomorrow. __**Review, favorite, and follow!**__ Thanks :)_


	14. Movies & Mustaches

**A/N** _So, this author's note is going to be pretty long haha :) first of all, thank you sooo much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! This was my first shot at a fanfiction to be posted on here, so it means a lot that everyone is enjoying it so much! I haven't gotten a single bad review yet, and I've almost reached 6,000 views! That's crazy. Please keep doing what you're doing, I appreciate it soo much! This is an awesome fanbase we have. Enjoy this next chapter :) xoxoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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The people at school were completely and utterly shocked, to say the least. I was one of the most envied girls at school, all of a sudden. Trish was ecstatic. Ian just smiled. Dez did that weird little handshake with Austin again. My dad approved immediately.  
And I was actually happy. It'd been a month since we got together, and we had performed another song on The Pier. It kind of felt surreal to me, to be honest. I never imagined myself with this boy. But since he would be staying home, I think everything would work out perfectly. We got along great. He urged me to finally go get my license, but I still ride with him most of the time. Dad says we can't afford a car right now, anyway.  
Now we're in his basement, watching a movie, after finishing yet another song and recording it for our homemade album. The Pier gig wasn't for another 2 weeks, but we were early, as always.  
I got to pick out the movie this time. It's 'The Last Song', and I'm already tearing up. Austin is just sitting there with his arm around me unenthusiastically.  
"How can you not think this is sad?" I sniffle, and he shrugs. "Chick flicks and stuff don't get to me like they do Dez."  
I nod, knowing that Dez is a major romance enthusiast. Him and Trish will go on friend dates all the time to see the latest one in theaters. It's hilarious. They're the perfect example of best friends, yet, we all know they would never date. It simply wouldn't happen, not to mention they wouldn't look right together.  
I lay my head back on his lap and look up at his eyes. "Whatcha doin'?" He asks in a mocking voice. I snicker. "Nothin'." I mock back. He rolls his eyes. "Can't we do something else? Please?" He groans.  
"Fine," I sigh, sitting up, "what do you want to do?" I made a mental note to finish the movie later.  
He hops up, nearly pushing me off the couch in the process. "Let's go do something fun! Wanna sneak into Dez's room and scare the piss out of him?" It was a saturday night, about 9 o' clock.  
I stare at him, not comprehending. "Couldn't we be arrested for robbery for doing that?" I ask. He cocks an eyebrow. "Not if you do it right, come on!"  
I follow him cautiously, and he grabs a black marker on the way out of the door. I'm nervous all the way to Dez's house, about 5 blocks down the road.  
Once arrived, Austin turns out his headlights as we turn into his driveway quietly. All the lights were off.  
"Are you sure they're home?" I ask, uncertain. He shakes his head. "No," he murmurs, "they just go to sleep really early."  
I can't help but giggle as we sneak around to the back of the house, hand in hand, crouched down low.  
Dez's bedroom is on the first floor of his house, while his parents' is conveniently on the second.  
He begins sliding up Dez's window quietly. "It's not locked?" I whisper. He cackles as he responds "No."  
Once the window is open, we silently crawl inside. Once my eyes adjust, I can see Dez in his bed on the far side of the room. I see Austin pull out his marker, and he approaches Dez.  
"Mustache," he giggles in explanation, then plants a scruffy, inky handlebar mustache right on Dez's face. I'm trying and failing to hold in my laughter. "I thought we were going to scare him?" I say between laughs. He shakes his head, smiling. "I changed my mind. I do this all the time, he never learns to lock his window. Come on, let's go."  
We climb back out, close the window, go to his car, and drive away.  
"Why didn't you have a party this weekend?" I ask him. He shrugs. "Guess Ian and I didn't really think about it. Next weekend," he promises, then we keep on down the road.  
He drops me off at my house, where he kisses my lightly, just like the first time, before I get out of the car. I skip up to my bedroom, put on a pair of Austin's boxers (he knew I liked to sleep in them, so he gave me a pair of his), and crawl under the covers. I fall asleep smiling.

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**A/N** _Okay, I think it's an exceptionally cute chapter, what do you think? :) __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	15. Assuming & Admitting

**A/N** _Next chapter! Glad I could get it up tonight :) Enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"AUSTIN!" Dez exclaimed as he stormed into the practice room the next day. "Again? Really?"

The mustache was now halfway smudged across his face where he'd been sleeping. I snorted a laugh, and Austin gave him a cheeky grin. "I am SO going to start locking my windows!" He screeches.

"Sure you are, Dez..." Austin says, with a roll of his eyes. Ian comes in behind Dez, hunched over in laughter. "Look at his face!" He howls between laughs. Now I'm hunched over laughing.

Trish, Austin, and I were in the practice room. We were showing Trish the progress on our album, which we now had four songs on. Trish was in the floor laughing. "That look really suits you, Dez!" She cackles.

He huffs, then storms back out of the room. All of us continue laughing until we can no longer breathe, and Trish and Ian are both in the floor while Austin has his head face-down on the piano and I'm on the couch with my knees pulled up to my chest.

"Okay..." Austin says, catching his breath. "That's the last time I'm doing that. I'm afraid his parents will get suspicious."

Ian nods, wiping tears off his face. "But you could do it one more time... In Sharpie."

Austin laughs. "I'll leave that task to you, big bro." He decides.

Ian sticks around so that he can hear the album too. After he's listened to the four songs, he says, "Man, I'll tell you, those are some awesome songs. But... The first one, it just... What's it called? 'Never Say Never'? It really makes an impression on me, for some reason."

I smile. I think it made an impression on everyone who heard it. It was just one of those songs.

Trish and Ian left, and Austin and I were left alone. As I walk past him, heading to the piano, he grabs me by the waist and pulls me on to the couch with him. I giggle.

Then, his lips are on mine, which I'm used to, but it was different this time. His lips are moving in sync with mine, and his hands are on my waist, and his tongue is grazing mine...

It was different, but I liked it. Then he pulls away, and I'm momentarily dissapointed. His chocolate orbs look into my eyes. "I'm sorry, if I came on to strong... Again..." But he's smiling, so I think he knows he didn't. I swallow. "That was my first kiss. Real kiss, I mean."

He looks completely surprised, and something flashes in his eyes, but I don't know what. I think it's dissapointment. "Really? He says nervously, with a squeak in his voice.

I nod slowly. "I don't expect me to have been your first though, Austin. I'm sure you've had many of chances throughout your years of school."

He looks away from my eyes. "Are you a virgin, Ally?" He murmurs, almost too low to understand. It took me by complete surprise. "Yeah," I say, as if he should know the answer, "aren't you?"

When he doesn't say anything, and he refuses to meet my eyes, I know his answer.

"Oh..." I murmur, not really sure what I was feeling. I guess I had just assumed that most kids wouldn't do that kind of thing in high school, but what did I know? I just got to highschool. I was 16 and just had my first makeout.

He takes my hand, and finally looks me in the eyes. "Please don't be upset. I'm changing, Ally. Since I've met you, I've stopped doing a lot of wrong things. Remember how I didn't even realize that we didn't have a party last weekend? I'm not really in to that stuff anymore. You're changing me, Ally. You're making me a better person. And I haven't been with anyone since the moment I laid eyes on you."

I nod slowly. "Who was it?" I murmur.

He looks away again. "The honest truth?" He asks, and I nod, curious. He sighs. "It was Kira Starr."

Kira Starr. I would have never known. She was such a sweet girl.

"Why?" I ask. He sighs. "I don't know, we were drunk. But she's the only one I've ever been with. More than once, but only her."

I sigh. It was like my idea of Austin being perfect was suddenly ripped from me. His innocence just wasn't there anymore. I had known all the other things: parties, being drunk, typical senior things. But this was just kind of different for me. It took me aback. My parents had always taught me that your virginity was something that you needed to keep until marriage. I gently touched the purity ring around my left ring finger. On the top, it said 'love' in cursive, and on the bottom side, it recited 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, Love is kind, Love never fails".

"Are you really mad?" He asks cautiously. "No, Austin." I answer honestly. I sigh. "Not everyone has the some morals as I do, and I understand. You were drunk, anyway. You didn't know what you were doing."

He nods, seeming hurt. "I won't do it anymore. I've regretted it every day that I've been with you, or been your friend, or been your partner. It felt wrong, but I'm glad you know now, even though you probably look at me... differently."

I shrug. "It may change my view of you, but... Not that much." Then I smile at him, to lighten the mood. "I still like you."

He smiles and hugs me. Nobody's perfect, I reminded myself. This was Austin's big flaw. Mine was that I had been homeschooled until my junior year. We all had things that we were embarrassed about. Yet, this still hurt me.

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**A/N **_Hope you liked it! **Review, favorite, and follow! **Also, tell me what you think will happen later on. I want to see what other people think this is leading to. I think a lot of you will be surprised. :) Thanks._


	16. Cute Songs & Crashes

**A/N **_Pretty long chapter ahead! I'm totally not a fan of One Direction, but I have to admit, "Little Things" is a cute song, and I just had to fit it in. c: Be prepared for the unexpected. xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction._

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I laugh at Dez while he's drunken by the bonfire, babbling on about something I can't understand. Ian and Austin were having a party, just like Austin said he would this weekend. But, to my surprise, Austin isn't as excited as he generally is. I guess it's the reason that he told me earlier while he also admitted to not being a virgin.

And who else would be at this party but Kira Starr? I guess that she's actually at most of Austin's parties, I just never really noticed her before. I notice her everywhere now, though. In school, on the street, at the mall... No matter what, there she is. And she can never make eye contact with me. I don't have anything against her. I shouldn't, because what happened between them was long before Austin and I even met, anyway.

I was barefoot, sitting in the sand, Austin by my side strumming his guitar. It was some new chords I had never heard him play until now. "Whatcha playing?" I ask him, scooting closer. He shrugs. "Just a new rhythem. Maybe we could use it in our next song?" He says, then pulls a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket, hands it to me, and continues playing. It reads:

_Your hand fits in mine_

_Like it was made just for me_

_But bear this mind_

_It was meant to be_

_And I'm joining up the dots_

_With the freckles on your cheeks_

_And it all makes sense to me_

I smile and fold the note back up, blushing. I catch him looking at me. "Like the lyrics?" He asks with a wink, and I smile and nod. "I thought you would." He announces, then softly begins to sing the lyrics. He's soon caught the attention of the crowd around the bonfire, and they all get completely quiet. Even Dez and some others who were plastered seemed to make sense of how beautiful his voice was.

Once he finishes, he realizes he's caught the crowd's attention, and he clears his throat. A few girls giggle, then everyone carries on with their previous conversation. I look over to Ian, who Austin told me earlier was also drunk, but I couldn't tell. He was sitting with the same girl he had been sitting with the night of the first famous Moon party I came to. She was a pretty blonde with sea green eyes.

I feel a drop of rain fall on my head, and soon after, I hear thunder in the distance. 'Well, that was sudden.' I think to myself. Austin sighs and announces that a storm is coming so we should all probably go home. Some complain, but most get up in agreement. Austin helps Dez to his feet, and I see Ian and the blonde girl walking up to the parking area hand in hand.

"Are we taking Dez home?" I ask him, slipping on my shoes, and he nods, right before the rain comes gushing down. He groans in aggravation and pushes Dez along and up the bank, helping him in to the back of his yellow Mustang along with his acoustic. The rain is coming down in sheets now.

"Wow!" Dez exclaims. "It's raining REALLY hard!"

I giggle. "We know, Dez."

Dez rambles like this all the way to his house, a long, annoying thirty minute drive. Austin helps him sneak in his window, then returns to the car, soaked to the bone. He shivers and turns on the heat. "Well, this is a nightmare," He says with a sense of humor, "guess Ian and I should have checked the weather." I nod in agreement, watching the tiny water droplets fall down the side of his face.

I study the lyrics on the way to my house. "These are cute. Who are they about?" I tease, and he rolls his eyes and reaches for my hand. I take it, but place it back on his steering wheel. "Drive." I remind him, pointing out that these are hazardous conditions with the storm going on like this.

Once to my house, I invite him in for a little while. He says 'hi' to my dad as we make our way up to my room. I flicker on the television once up there, and plop down into my bean bag chair while Austin lays across my bed.

About ten minutes in to the program, his phone rings, and he furrows his brow as he looks at the screen. "What?" I ask him, and he shrugs before saying "Weird number." And answering.

After saying hello, I can barely hear another voice on the other end of the line. It sounds almost panicked. I see Austin's eyes get bigger than I've ever seen them, and he's soon scrambling off the bed while saying. "Ian- Ian, calm down- I'm coming, don't move!"

"What, Austin!" I say as he hangs up the phone is about to walk out of my room, "What's going on?" He shakes his head frantically. "No time to explain."

"I'm coming with you." I declare, and I grab a purple rain coat. He bites his lip and is about to say no to me, but he finally just nods and heads out. I follow him.

Once in the car, again, he explains it to me through clenched teeth. I can tell he's trying not to cry.

"Ian wrecked a little ways down the road from the bonfire. Stacy- that's the girl he's with- is hurt. He had to call from his phone because he lost his in the crash. He doesn't want to call 911 because our parents will find out, which they will anyways eventually... They went over a bank..." Now a single tear rolled down his face, but his voice never faltered. "It's all my fault, Ally. I let him drive away tonight knowing that he'd had too much to drink. I knew, but I bet she didn't. I bet most people didn't... Because you can never tell..."

He bangs a fist on his dashboard and shakes his head in misery. I find that my hand is over my mouth and I'm trying to fight panic. "The rain is clearing up now, at least. It will be easier to find them." I say, trying to lighten the situation... If that's even possible. He doesn't respond to my comment.

He drives faster than I've ever felt- faster than that night he kissed me for the first time, even- and it was still the most excruciating 35 minutes of my life. Or, at least, I thought it was... Until we got to the wreck.

Ian was nowhere to be found. The guard rail was torn, and down the bank was his truck... Or, what used to be his truck, anyway. Austin began sprinting down to the site without hesitation calling "Ian! Ian!"

I follow behind, slower, using the flashlight application on my phone to see as I stepped down the bank. I finally, finally heard talking. I stepped behind the truck to find something I wish I could have unseen. Ian, sitting on the ground with Stacy's head in his lap, leaning against the side of the big truck tire which had miraculously survived the incident. She was bloody and pale, and Austin was standing with him. They were both crying.

Ian saw me and looked away quickly, shame flashing in those bright blue eyes. Austin comes and hugs me, his cheek wet against mine. I hug him back, comfortingly. This was bad.

"I'll call an ambulance." I announce gently, and I pull out my phone, beginning to dial. Ian's voice stops me. "No need." He murmurs, it's the most pitiful thing I've ever heard him say.

"She's dead."

* * *

**A/N **_I warned you to expect the unexpected! Sorry bout the cliffhanger. I'll either have it up late tonight or tomorrow afternoon. I'm very busy in school, so bear with me. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter... Well, not really enjoyed, but I hope it got to you. This was kind of planned from the beginning. There was some foreshadowing involved, but you may not have caught it. Anywho, **review, favorite, and follow!** Be sure to tell me what you think will happen to the boys now._


	17. Mistakes & Murder

**A/N **_I'm sorry for such depressing chapters! It gets better, it has a lot to do with the plot. Hope you all don't think I'm a cruel person :P I'm not, just trying to add some drama. Hope you like these next few chapters!_

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_**DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

"What...?" I whispered, my breaths coming in rasps. Oh, no no no. This couldn't happen. Ian could be arrested for third degree murder. Austin's parents would be forever ashamed. What would this do to them?

The honesty in Ian's eyes was all too clear. Austin stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking at the ground. "Ally's right, Ian. We have to call the ambulance."

The tears started spilling out of Ian's eyes. I'd never imagine seeing him cry like this. "I'm so stupid, Austin. How could I...?" He begins shaking his head, then puts his forehead to Stacy's.

I call the ambulance because I'm the one with the steadiest voice at the moment. They arrive, soon after. They take Ian to the back of the ambulance, and I'm glad he doesn't have to see Stacy being wheeled away, covered up. There was obviously no saving her.

An officer approaches Austin and I. "Can you tell us what happened here?" He asks Austin. Austin shakes his head slightly. "I just know they went over the bank. I wasn't here. We arrived just a few minutes before you did."

Austin's voice was still shaky. I'd never seen him like this. I don't have any siblings, but the love he has for Ian must be pretty intense. It was as if he was feeling Ian's pain. Or maybe he was terrified of what would happen to him?

"Your brother's alcohol intake was above the legal limit, so he was driving under the infuence." Austin's grip on my hand tensed as the officer said this. "He could very easily be trialed for murder."

Austin hangs his head. "Ian is not a murderer, I'll tell you that he had no intent of hurting Stacy. None at all. He's one of the nicest, most genuinely caring guys you will ever meet. And this is killing him."

The officer nods, sympathy in his eyes. "All that may be true... But it can be counted in the third degree, where no intent to kill or even harm was induced.

Austin bites his lip. "I know." He murmurs, and the officer walks away.

I see more cars pulling up above the bank. He sighs and puts a hand behind his head as he announces, "Parents are here."

I've never seen Austin's mom run as fast as she did down that bank. She headed straight for Ian and wrapped her arms around him. I could see Austin's dad, still beside the busted guard rail, looking down at the wreckage and shaking his head.

"Dad will be so dissapointed," Austin murmurs, "he always thought Ian was a perfect kid, besides not wanting to go to college."

It was obvious at this point that his parents did not know that Ian was intoxicated in the wreck. And as soon as Ian begins crying again, I can see that Austin's mom knows that something is up. An officer pulls her aside, out of our view. I suspect he's about to tell her everything we just learned.

Austin and I make our way to Ian, who now has a bandage over his head where a thick slice once was. That appeared to be his only injury, ironically.

"I'm gonna be in jail, Austin." Ian sighs, fiddling with his fingers. "I've killed the girl I cared about most, and now I'm going to jail. This is the worst day of my life." He put his face in his hands.

Ausin comfortingly patted his shoulder. The corruption of the night was beginning to get to me. "If the jury likes you, you won't go to jail. Although I'm sure Stacy's family will put up a fight..." I point out. Ian just nods. "I know all that. I feel terrible for what I've done. I have no idea how I'll live through this. If I get out... I'm moving, Austin. I'm moving to somewhere where no one will know me and no one can judge me for my actions. Somewhere far away, maybe even out of country."

Austin sighs. "Whatever you need to do, brother. I'm here for you. You know I am."

Ian just nods, his tears finally beginning to slow down as they fall down his face. Austin and Ian's mom is approaching us now. She's crying. She looks mad.

She tells Ian how disappointed she is. Then she turns to Austin and tells him that she can't believe he wouldn't stop Ian, because there's no way that he wouldn't have known his own brother was under the influence. Then she cries harder, and hugs me for some reason. I just pat her back. She pulls away and shakes her head, wiping her face, and says she'll fight to keep Ian out of court, but it was time for him to move out. He needed to leave. Then she walked away, I guess to go find Ian's father.

Austin puts his arm around me as Ian takes it all in. I think Austin's feeling guilty now too. "I need to take you home," He sighs, "let's go."

We ride the thirty minutes back to my house, and we sit in the car for a moment. My hands are still shaking from the events of the night. "Tell me this is all a dream," I whisper, "I just want to wake up and it all be over."

He gives a small, agonized laugh, and leans over and kisses my forehead. "I wish it was too."

I sigh. "I guess songwriting tomorrow is canceled, huh?" Almost feeling guilty that I'm disappointed. He nods. "I think our career will be put on hold for a little while." I nod too, knowing he's right. It wasn't fair of me to ask that question. This was going to be a long process. I would be beside Austin and Ian every step of the way. Ian had done wrong, but he didn't need to be locked up for his mistakes... Or, that's how I felt, anyway. I'm sure others would disagree with me, but Ian was like my brother now, and there were a ton of other kids who drove away tonight drunk. It was complete bad luck. He meant no harm, at all.

Austin kisses me for real before I get out of the car, knowing the next few months would be life changing.

* * *

**A/N **_I'm pretty excited. The story is just getting started, y'all. I'm going to be thinking hard about how I should start these next few chapters. It_'s _not easy for me to write about these types of things! Tell me if you think I should skip to whole court ordeal and get to the big parts, or if you think I should have one or two court related chapters when you **review, favorite, and follow!**_


	18. Prosecutions & Perfect Nightmares

**A/N **_I apologize for the short chapter! As stated, it's very hard for me to write about things like this, and I'm also kind of ignorant of them, considering my age and that I've never been involved in court ordeals. So forgive me for any inaccuracy :) Haha, enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction._

* * *

I sit with Trish on my bed about a week after the accident. By now, everyone knew. Austin hadn't been in school all week, and I'm glad, by the way people are talking about it. The whole thing is a mess. Ian's court date is about a month from now and chances are that he won't be getting off the hook. Stacy's mom slapped Ian in the face the first time she saw him after it. I saw the whole thing, because we were at the hospital the next day visiting Ian; they had made him stay over night. He had kept his cool, and held in his emotions. I wasn't sure how he did it.

Trish and I were half-heartedly watching a program. She had been down in the dumps, as well as Dez and I. This was the most unexpected and saddening event that we had ever experienced. I sigh and cut off the television, knowing we're wasting electricity.

Trish huffs. "We should go see Austin and Ian." She announces. I shrug. "Maybe, they're really busy trying to get everything figured out with Ian's lawyer. I hope he's good." I frown, and Trish nods in agreement. We decide against going to see them, knowing it will only depress us even more.

We decide to go get some frozen yogurt instead. As we sit down at a table in the food court, Dez spots us and comes to sit with us. Trish had quit her job when the accident happened and still hadn't seeked another. That's how bad it was.

Dez pouts. "I miss Austin and Ian."

Trish scoffs. "So do we. But until and unless Ian is found 'not guilty', our bestfriend days are over. Austin will never be himself again unless Ian is with him; they're like two halves." Trish pushes aside her barely eaten forzen yogurt, obviously losing her appetite.

Dez shrugs. "Well, we were gonna be split apart eventually. I'm leaving for college at the end of the year, and it's almost Christmas break, Ian may move if he gets off 'not guilty', and Austin... Who knows what Austin's plans are? He changes his mind so quickly." Dez rests his chin on his palm.

I lose my appetite, too. I don't like having to think about losing my friends. If only I had been part of this group sooner. Austin's great list of lyrics about me run through my head and I miss him even more...

_I know you've never loved the crinkles by your eyes when you smile, _  
_You've never loved your stomach or your thighs _  
_The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine_  
_But I'll love them endlessly_

I was amazed that Austin had written two stanzas all by himself, and they were both good. I go back to the first lyrics I ever heard him come up with by himself...

_Imagine, you're the queen of everything_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

Trish interrupts my thoughts. "Well, we'll just wait out whatever is to come. If we really all care about each other as much as we say we do, we'll stay in touch." Trish declares, and Dez and I nod, unsure.

Finally we all just go our separate ways. I curl up in bed as soon and I get home, even though it's only 7:30. I close my eyes, wishing this next month would pass by quicker. Austin had to cancel his gig at The Pier for this month and the next, and my Book sat idle on my piano stand in the practice room. It was the perfect nightmare.

* * *

**A/N **_I'll go ahead and warn everyone by saying that the next chapter skips a whole month, right up to the court date. Some suggested that I write two or three chapters during the court, but not focus on them too much, so that's what I'm doing! Thanks to your suggestions. This is my first fanfic, after all, so I like to see what my readers think :) I appreciate it all soo much! **Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	19. Restlessness & Results

**A/N **_Okay, another short chapter! But I wanted to update quick, so yeah. I'm sure y'all aren't all that interested in the court stuff anyway, from what I've heard. So here ya go. :) Plain, simple, to the point! I plan on the next few chapters being exceptionally long, if I can. We all know I'm not all that great at writing long chapters. (; Hehe. Thanks for all the support I've had up to here! Almost to 20 chapters! Wow! Maybe this fanfic will be as long as I wanted it to be after all. (: I'm expressing the idea of a sequel. I'm not completely set on a plot yet, but I have some ideas. And there also isn't a complete chance that there will be a sequel. Once this fanfic is finished, I will ask you all to review and ask if you want a sequel and blah blah blah... I digress, as usual. Thanks everyone! Enjoooy._

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******DISCLAIMER:** _____I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

_**1 Month Later**_

I chew on my nails as I work the desk at Sonic Boom for the first time in a long time. I needed something to occupy myself, because I was on end. Today was the day of Ian's trial at the court, and although I was invited to attend, I didn't. I couldn't take it when they found him guilty of third degree murder. I couldn't watch them take him away in handcuffs.

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice day!" I murmur to my customer, and then realize they're looking at me funny. Then I realize the customer I called sir, was actually a woman. "Sorry, sorry!" I gasp, "Ma'am. Have a nice day, ma'am." She snorts and walks away, a new bag of guitar strings in her hands.

I sigh and take a seat behind the counter, pulling out my Book and jotting down some of my stress. Dad was also stressed, he was home cleaning. I think he liked Austin and Ian just about as much as I did.

I begin chewing my stubby fingernails again, then force stop myself. It was getting pretty lonely in the store, but Ian's trial should be over soon. They had been there about three hours now... Long enough. I bet the Moon family was miserable.

Trish comes dragging in the door of the store, wearing a new work costume. She had finally gotten a job again, after I urged her that she needed something to get her mind off the situation. Now she was working at some video game shop in the mall.

"The suspense is killing me, Ally!" She groans. I sigh. "I know, Trish. Me too, but we just have to wait it out. Ian's lawyer is supposed to be really good, he'll do all that he can."

Trish nods excitedly. "I'm still clinging to hope!" She announces I wish I could think like her. Most of my hope had drained, and I was slowly slipping in to depression mode. Austin and I had only spend five days together in the past month, and they were all quiet and full of tension. I missed him.

I groan and slip to the floor behind the counter and lean against it. I didn't expect many more customers today, anyway. Trish joined me on the floor and mocked my groan. I raised and eyebrow at her and she actually giggled. I couldn't help but smile.

Suddenly, my phone begins buzzing.

I don't think I've ever imagined jumping up that fast to grab it- especially didn't expect Trish to reach it before I did. "Give it!" I hiss, and she hands it over. I quickly enter my lock code, and my heart stops when I read that the text is from "_Blondie Wuvs Yooo!_"... a.k.a, Austin.

"I can't read it..." I whisper, and hand the phone to Trish, putting my face in my hands. I hear her gulp as she hits on the message.

It goes silent, then I hear her muffled a sob, then scream... Then she runs out of the store, dropping my phone on the floor.

I huff, and pick it up, startled by her reaction. My reaction is almost the same as hers as I read the text that she read only seconds earlier:

**I, Austin Monica Moon (shutup, I know you're laughing), hereby declare than Ian Daniel Moon has been found NOT GUILTY of his actions. :)**

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**A/N **_Yay! Were you guys shocked? I actually hadn't decided until a little while ago whether to make him guilty or not guilty! But making him not guilty gave me some good plot ideas, which I'm sure you will catch on to in the next chapter, which will be posted tomorrow.** Review, favorite, and follow!** :)_


	20. Found Not Guilty & Future Plans

**A/N **_Longest chapter so far! 2,000! Yay! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter, because it has a lot of things in it to really kick off some new things. You'll want to keep reading until the end of the series, I plan on it being very good. :) Enjoy, xoxo_

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_**DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction._

* * *

I drop my phone, just as Trish did, and screech at the top of my lungs in excitement. I do a little happy dance, go and hug random customer, pick my phone back up, and run out of the store to go find Trish. I return a few seconds later, realizing dad isn't here to run the store.

I huff and sit back down behind the counter, tapping my feet in excitement. Ian had been found not guilty! NOT guilty! He wouldn't be going to jail! A big grin crosses my face, despite the fact that the customer I hugged is giving me strange looks.

I realize I forgot to text Austin back, so I unlock my phone once more. I reply:

**YAY! OMG. Yay! Yayayay! Okay, come by Sonic Boom ASAP!**

To my complete surprise, he walks through the door about a minute later and announces with a grin, "Already here!"

I run and hug him, and he spins me around. We both laugh.

"Ally, this is amazing! I don't know what it was, the jury... They just... They loved him or something! I really wasn't sure if he'd be let off the hook, but he is! Stacy's parents are soooo mad... But that's beside the point! Ah!" He's talking in that high-pitched tone he uses when he gets really excited. I'm all smiles. "I want to go see him," I say, "after I find Trish... When she found out, she ran out in excitement. Probably go to find Dez."

Austin nodded, and called Dez to find out where they were. Apparently they were at his house, where Trish had arrived just moments earlier. He summons them to meet him and I at Sonic Boom so that we can all celebrate together, then go see Ian later tonight, when he gets home and settled and the craziness dies down a little bit.

They arrive about thirty minutes later- they stopped at the store to get a four-pack of mini cupcakes. We clank them together in a cheer before eating them up in the practice room. Austin looks at me excitedly. "Ally, we can finally start writing again! Well, technically, I've already finished our next song, but-"

"Wait." I say, holding up a hand to stop him, "You finished the song? How did you manage that?"

He shrugs. "Being away from you for so long gives me ideas because I miss you so much." He blushes, and Dez makes a long, drawn out "Awwww!"

I blush, too. "Well, what are you waiting for? I want to hear it."

He jumps up and reaches for the acoustic guitar I have in the room before leaning against the wall and beginning to strum.

_Your hand fits in mine_

_Like it's made just for me_

_But bear this in mind_

_It was meant to be_

_And I'm joining up the dots_

_With the freckles on your cheeks_

_And it all makes sense to me_

_I know you've never loved_

_The crinkles by your eyes when you smile_

_You've never loved_

_Your stomach or your thighs_

_The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine_

_But I'll love them endlessly_

_I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth_

_But if I do, it's you,_

_Oh it's you,_

_They add up to_

_I'm in love with you,_

_And all these little things_

_You can't go to bed,_

_Without a cup of tea,_

_And maybe that's the reason_

_That you talk, in your sleep_

_And all those conversations_

_Are the secrets that I keep_

_Though it makes no sense to me_

_I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape_

_You never want to know how much you weigh_

_You still have to squeeze into your jeans_

_But,_

_You're perfect to me_

_I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth_

_But if it's true,_

_It's you,_

_It's you,_

_They add up to_

_I'm in love with you,_

_And all these little things_

_You'll never love yourself_

_Half as much as I love you_

_You'll never treat yourself right, darlin'_

_But I want you to,_

_If I let you know, I'm here for you,_

_Maybe you'll love yourself,_

_Like I love you_

_Oh_

_And I've just let these little things_

_Slip, out of my mouth,_

_'Cause it's you, oh it's you,_

_It's you,_

_They add up to_

_And I'm in love with you,_

_And all these little things,_

_I won't let these little things_

_Slip, out of my mouth,_

_But if it's true,_

_It's you, it's you,_

_They add up to,_

_I'm in love with you,_

_And all your little things_

I grin when he finishes it. "What's it called?" I ask. He says, "Little Things." As he puts away his guitar.

"It's really cute." Giggles Trish, "Not as good as your first song, but cute! Ally, I think he should be the only one who sings this song for the album, and for your next show."

Austin puts his head down. "Yeah... About my gig..."

We all stare at him, confused. Finally, he sighs. "My gig got cancelled because I couldn't come two months in a row. I can't play at The Pier anymore."

We all gape at him. "Where are you planning on performing at, then?" I ask him. He shrugs. "I guess until I find somewhere else we'll just have to finish the album. This will be the fifth song on the album, and if we were aiming for twelve by Christmas break, we better step on it, because we only have about a month left, and it's taken us four months to get this far."

He was right. Christmas break had been our goal a while back, but we hadn't really thought about how much work that would require.

I just sigh and nod, upset that The Pier gig had been cancelled. It was nice playing there. Maybe every now and then Austin could perform here at Sonic Boom if we wanted to sponsor something, but for now, we could just work on the album.

"Why don't you record the new song now?" Dez suggests. "I'll record you recording it, then the recording can be uploaded to the Internet later, and maybe you'll get a record amount of view." He grins. I wonder if he realizes how many times he just said some form of the word 'record'.

Austin just nods, and we pull out all the audio equipment, and set up Dez's camera in front of where Austin would be standing. Once hooked up, we all sit on the couch as he records the song, being sure that it sounds just the way he wants it to before turning off the mic and camera.

"I'll edit this later." Dez says, then shoves the camera back in his backpack.

Austin's phone buzzes, and he pulls it out, announcing that it's from his brother. "We can go to my house and see him, now." Austin says with a smile.

We all drive there- Trish and I in her car, Dez in his, and Austin in his. The Moon house was quiet when we arrived. I see Austin's mom, who has dark bags under her eyes. "Hey, guys." She sighs, "Ian is in the basement."

We all pound down the stairs, and Ian actually smiles when he sees us. "What's up, guys?" He asks, and stands up. Austin scoffs. "You're the one who told me to invite them all over." Ian grins and says, "I know."

We all cram ourselves on to the small couch to watch some television, but I can't help but notice that Ian is scrolling through something on his phone, occupied. Austin must have noticed too, because he says "Ian, what are you looking at, man?"

"Houses." Ian says, not looking up. Austin's eyes get big. "You're still planning on moving?" He asks, and Ian just stares at him like he's crazy. "Austin, I killed someone... Not just anyone, I killed Stacy. Even if I didn't mean to, it was my own stupidity that did it, and I really cared about her. I gotta get away from here. She's everywhere... Pictures in the newspaper, on the news, even on the streets..." He shakes his head.

Austin puts his head down. "It was kind of my fault, too, you know."

Ian puts his face in his hands. "Maybe, yes, but it's not the same for you, okay? I don't blame you for anything, Austin. Neither would she, but I can't help but think that she's frowning down on me from Heaven... I just gotta leave."

Austin nods sadly. "Where are you looking at going to?" He asks, suddenly sounding curious.

Ian runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair as he says "California."

I think Austin's going to jump off the sofa. "California?! Ian, that's like, three thousand miles away! You can't!"

"I can do what I want, Austin. I'm an adult, and you don't need me here, anyway. I'll always be in touch, but dad and mom want me out of the house, and I don't want to stay here, so just don't argue with me. I actually considered going to Europe or somewhere, and I told you the night of the accident that I was going somewhere pretty far, so don't act all surprised!" Ian's voice is raised now.

Austin looks at his hands as he murmurs, "Oh, yeah. I guess you did tell me that."

I realize that Trish, Dez, and I have been sitting there, listening intently, not really knowing what to think of all this. "Well," Dez sighs, "I'm going home to edit Austin's video."

Trish ditches next... She has no excuse, though. So then, Austin takes me home, leaving Ian in the basement to look at houses in L.A. in peace.

* * *

**A/N **_Hope you all liked it! I don't think you should be too surprised/upset since it was hinted multiple times that Ian would be departing. If he is your favorite character, I'm sorry! :( Don't worry, I'm not totally shoving him out of the story! He has a lot to do with this plot, so he will definitely make a reappearance at some point. Don't know how long it will be, but I'd say it will be a while. I'm proud of myself for getting 20 chapters in! I couldn't have done it without you all. :) Nearly 11,000 views and counting! It really makes me want to write, I look forward to it every time I get a chance to, and I greatly appreciate all the lovely reviews I'm getting! Let's make this fanfic popular. :) Thank you! **Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	21. Viral Videos & Vowing to Be Pure

**A/N** _I'm really sorry for how long this has taken! I've been very busy. I'll do my best to make this a good chapter to make up for it._

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

We went and got ice cream in the food court the next day. The whole gang was there, but Ian continued to scroll through his phone, ignoring us.

Finally, Austin sighed and said, "Ian, will you put down the phone? We would like to have some conversations with you before you go all the way across the country."

Ian cleared his throat. "Sorry, guys. I'm just stressed. Finding a cheap apartment in L.A. is going to be really hard." He sighs, and slides his phone in to his pocket.

"It's fine, Ian." Trish supports him, "We're here for you all the way. We'll even fly out to L.A. to help you move in!"

Ian perks up. "Really?" He asks excitedly.

Trish giggles, and takes a bite of her chocolate ice cream. "Nope."

I roll my eyes and smile. Losing Ian would be tough, but as long as he wasn't behind bars somewhere, it would be okay.

"Okay," Dez says with a grin, "Last night I uploaded Austin's video to YouTube.. He got 15,000 views by 6 o' clock this morning!"

"No way!" Austin says, "That's awesome! How many do we have now?"

Dez whips out his phone, and his eyes get really big. "980,000?!" He gasps, and clutches his chest as if he were going to have a heart attack. "Dude, you got nearly a million views in less than 24 hours! That's crazy!"

Austin and Dez do their silly handshake, and I hug Austin. Trish claps her hands excitedly and Ian pats Austin on the back and says "Good job, little bro."

Austin has a huge smile on his face. "Thanks, guys. I couldn't have done it without you."

This would be really good for our career. Austin's video getting so many views could attract more attention for him. He needed as much attention as he could get if he wanted to score more gigs.

Once finished, Austin and I went to the practice room to start a new song. We were sitting at the piano when Austin made another move on me, putting his lips to mine. Another makeout session in the practice room...

He pulls back, his hand on my chin, and smiles. "I've missed you." I smile too. "I've missed you more."

My fingers in his hair, his lips moving with mine, everything was perfect again. It was like the first time, a few months ago, before things had gotten crazy.

His hands were soon up my shirt, trying to take it off my body. I lightly push him away. "You know I'm not like that." I whisper. His face gets red and he pulls his hands away from my body. "I know, I'm sorry. Got carried away."

I hug him tightly and turn back to the piano keys.

* * *

**A/N **_I'm sorry it's so short! As stated, I'm very busy. In a few days all the craziness will be over and I can go back to writing like normal. :) By the way, did anyone else see the preview for Teen Beach Movie? It looks really good! Except for Ross's hair... What did they do to it, like seriously? Haha! Anyways, __**review, favorite, and follow!:)**_


	22. Rental Agreements & Respect

**A/N** _So, this chapter is longer, thank goodness. Thank you all for your patience. I'm totally surprised at how popular this story has gotten! :) Makes me happy. Thanks y'all, enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

Ian contacted Austin later that night, excitedly telling him he had found the perfect apartment. I could see Austin's sorrow as he tried to sound happy for his big brother. I just squeezed his hand.

Once he hung up the phone, he sighed and looked at me. "Ian jumped on the deal and already has a rental agreement. He's leaving either next week or the week after that."

My eyes get big. "Really? That fast?"

I wasn't sure whether it was a good or bad thing that Ian was leaving so soon. The pro was that, the sooner Ian left, the faster Austin could get over his departure and we could work faster on the album. The con was, of course, having Ian out of our lives.

He nods solemnly and runs his fingers through his hair. "It will be tough, definitely. But I'll be alright."

I smile at him. "I know you'll be okay. I'm here for you."

He smiles at me and wraps his arms around my waist. I melt into his hug.

He pulls back and looks in to my eyes. "This is going to be a new start for me, Ally. I'm going to focus more on our career and less on all this mess. Maybe it's a good thing he's moving." He shrugs, and I raise my eyebrows.

"Maybe..." I murmur.

It was weird hearing Austin talk like this, but maybe it was a good thing? I don't really know. I just hoped that Austin and Ian could still stay in touch.

We finished our song the next day, recorded it the day after that, and added it to our album. We now had 6 songs, which meant we were halfway finished with our album. We had a month to get 6 more songs... Which meant nearly 2 songs a week, but we finished this one in 3 days, so we could probably do it. All I wished for was his happiness, and for this all to pass.

Austin ate dinner at my house that night, where dad dropped subtle hints that he wanted to know about the Ian situation, but Austin never really gave in. He only answered things with "Yes" and "No".

Austin and I curled up on my couch afterwards, and dad went to sleep. We watched funny cat videos on the internet (because we're children at heart) and he eventually checked his clock on his phone and decided he needed to go home.

I went out on the porch with him, and I was surprised when he shut the door behind him. He gently put his hands on my shoulders. "The way I came on to you the other day, Ally..." He sighed. "I know you didn't like it."

I felt my cheeks get hot, reliving the moment. "It's not that I didn't like it... I'm just not like that. Not ready for it." I held up my left hand and pointed to my ring finger with my eyebrows raised. "Purity?"

He kind of chuckled. "I know, and I'm sorry. I guess I'm still not used to having a girl as... I don't know, perfect as you. Most the girls I've ever been with have just wanted me for my... Er, body. And the only reason Kira and I gave in is because we weren't in our right mind."

I nod slowly, not really getting it.

He sighs. "I digress," he murmurs, "the point is, I need to stop, and I'm sorry. I won't do it again." He gives me a light peck on the lips, hugs me, and walks to his car. I wave to him silently, smiling.

I was glad that Austin cared about me enough to respect my morals.

* * *

**A/N** _Okay, hope you guys liked it. I wrote this last part mainly because some of you have been asking me if this story is going to turn M, and the answer is no. I like keeping my stories cute, yet appropriate. (: Hope you all liked it. __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	23. Goodbye's & Getting New Gigs

**A/N** _Okay, guys, sorry that this may not be the best chapter and sorry that I skipped like a week and a half in the story, but I'm super busy and right now I seriously have the most splitting headache I've ever had, plus I have homework to finish. So, bear with me! The story is about to get real good after these next few chapters. I've had it planned out from the beginning, so, those of you with suggestions... I'm sorry if they haven't come true! I've known how this story was going to end since before I began writing it, and I've stuck to it ever since. Whether there will be a sequel or not, I still don't know. Maybe if I can think up another storyline, but for now, it's unknown. Anyways, sorry for rambling! Enjoy the story!_

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_******DISCLAIMER:** __I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

_**10 Days Later...**_

Ian slams the trunk on his dad's car, where, moments before, he had set about three large suit cases. He leans casually against the trunk, his dad waiting in the driver's seat, his fingers pressed against his temples.

"Well," Ian sighs, "I guess this is goodbye."

All of us were here. Austin, Trish, Dez, and I. We were all keeping our cool, and so was Ian. He was leaving in about five minutes to go to the airport. His flight left about mid-day.

Austin shrugs. "I'm just glad you're happy, Ian." He sighs. "I'm gonna miss you, bro, but I'll see you every time that I get the chance."

Ian nodded, and kicked a pebble in the drive way. What exactly were we supposed to say?

Ian looked up at us, finally. He took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry for all this trouble. Really, I am. I mentally beat myself up every day for my actions, and I can't escape it. I just can't. I'm not leaving because I don't want to be with you guys, or because of how people look at me, or even because mom and dad want me gone... I love hanging out with you guys... And it's kind of weird to me since I'm two and three years older than you... But you're my best friends, and I mean that. I'm leaving for my own personal relief, for a fresh start." He clears his throat, and spreads his arms wide. We all group hug him.

He gets in the car a few moments later, and we wave as him and his dad pull away. And then he's gone.

The four of us head back to Sonic Boom to try to relieve ourselves of upset. Once there, Dez plops down on the couch and murmurs, "I guess that now would be of good a time as any to announce that I was contacted through my YouTube account and told that there's a gig opening at a sports bar for twice a week, Austin."

Austin's eyes light up. "Really? Awesome! Ally and I have eight original songs now, so that will be great! Thanks, Dez!" They handshake.

Trish and I smile and roll our eyes, glad that maybe this will lighten up the gloominess that has been hanging over our heads since this whole ordeal started.

Dez tells Austin that he can go by the place tomorrow and talk to the manager about it, and Austin agrees, as long as Dez goes with him. This would be a big change for Austin, since his gig at The Pier only happened once a month.

Trish is flipping through a magazine. "So, do you two lovebirds think that you will be able to finish your album before Christmas?"

Austin and I exchange glances. I nod, and answer, "Yeah, we think so. We only have four more songs to write."

Trish nods, still flipping. "What is that album called, anyway?"

That was a good question. What was the album called? Austin and I hadn't really talked about it, nor did we have a theme for the album. There were all sorts of songs on there. Love songs, sad songs, fun songs, anything. For once, we were at a loss.

Austin just shrugs, and Trish loses interest in the conversation.

The next day, Austin and Dez excitedly caught up to Trish and I while we were tanning on the beach. Austin picked me up, spun me around, and announced excitedly, "I got the gig! I got it!"

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**A/N**_ Okay, yeah. Eventful, right?:)** Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	24. Starts & Something Great

**A/N**_ I'll go ahead and warn you all that I may or may not be able to update tomorrow or the next day. Very, very busy week for me. :( Sorry! Enjoy this chapter since you may not get an update for two or three days... xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

I laugh and yell for Austin to put me down. He agrees with a smile, and kisses me. "This is great! My gig is every Monday and Friday night! My first one will be this Friday. I want you to sing with me every now and then, too, if they'll allow it."

I smile, hoping he would tell me that. I liked performing with Austin, although the thought of performing by myself absoluteley terrified me.

Austin grins. "I should text Ian and tell him, I guess." He pulls out his phone and begins typing away. I go and lay back down across my beach towel, my mind going back to a few months ago on our 'bestfriend day'. Austin and I weren't dating then. Ian hadn't been accused of murder. Life was so much easier. I wanted to go back, but I knew everything happened for a reason. And I would have taken this whole situation any day over not ever have meeting this great group of people, and staying homeschooled. They were my life now.

Austin soon comes and sits next to me. He had tossed his shirt aside, revealing his abs. I had to make myself tear my eyes away, while thinking 'Damn, my boyfriend is hot'.

Dez and Trish were tossing a football now, further down the beach, ignoring us.

Austin says, "We need to start working on a new song. We should try getting two done this week and next, since Christmas is in like two weeks or so. I can't believe we may actually reach our goal by then!"

I nod excitedly. "Me either, I mean, this is great! Who knew we would be so perfect as musical partners?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Am I not the best boyfriend ever, though?"

I blush. "You are." I wink and boop his nose.

He smiles and pulls something out of his pocket. "That's why I got you this..."

I raise my eyebrow and take the tiny box from him, suddenly terrified he was proposing or something. But I knew that Austin wasn't that unreasonable, and he knew I could never get married at 17 anyways. So I opened the box excitedly.

It was a heart-shaped silver ring, covered in tiny diamonds, with the band forming odd, curvy shapes. I threw a hand over my mouth, suddenly realizing what this was. It was a promise ring.

He grinned and slipped it on my finger, and I suddenly realized why the band was so curved. It fit perfectly up next to my 'love' purity ring.

"How did you do that?" I murmured. He shrugged. "You were in the shower, and the ring was on your counter. I needed it so that the guy at the jewlers could make sure the band and the purity ring fit together like a puzzle. I put it back on your counter the next day... You never knew."

Actually, I did know when I realized I hadn't put it back on my finger after my shower about a week before. I had assumed I left it on the counter, and when I got back home, there it was, just where I left it. I never suspected a thing.

I blush and stare down at the two rings on my left hand, which matched perfectly. It was amazing.

I hug him tightly, and he chuckles and hugs me back.

Did this mean that Austin did want to marry me some day in the future? I could see us together. Ally Moon. It sounded nice.

He squeezes my hand. "This is my way of saying that, not only will I respect your morals until marriage, but I want you to be mine for as long as I'm alive."

Well, I guess that answers my question. I blush. I never knew that Austin was such a romantic guy.

_**Friday...**_

Austin hops on the stage at the sports bar, where everyone claps for him when he announces his name, and explains that he's new here. Dez, Trish, and I were here to support him.

I was a bit surprised when he began the chords of 'Never Say Never', the first song we ever wrote, instead of our latest song. But I smiled, as it brought back old memories. This song lit a flame in me that none other could. I listened in when the chorus started...

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

The crowd was in awe, just as they were on The Pier that night. Some of the men, dressed in sports aparrel, had even turned their attention from the football games on television.

Once he finished, he got a huge applause. He smiled and bowed, then added, "Me and my partner, Ally Dawson, who also happens to be my lovely girlfriend, wrote that. It was our very first song together."

I blush as everyone 'aaawww's.

He hops off the stage and hugs us all.

"Guys," he sighs, "I think this is the start of something great."

We all agree in unison.

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**A/N**_ What did you guys think? I tried to make it good since my next chapter may be delayed. And just think, the story is really only about halfway over (; It goes until the end of the school year, and they're only about to end the first semester. So, is that a good, or bad thing? Tell me when you review, favorite, and follow!_


	25. Albums & Adults

**A/N**_ So, good news! School is out today and I can write a big long chapter for you guys. :D Dunno when I can get the next one out though... Maybe tomorrow night, maybe Saturday. Busy, busy, busy me. Hope y'all like it. This is the 25th chapter... Which means the story is officially half way over! Wow, it went by soo fast. I've enjoyed writing for you all so much. Thanks for all the love. xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also own none of the songs on Austin&Ally's album, or any of the lyrics. All rights go to R5, Ed Sheeran, Gavin Rosdale, and One Direction. Also, rights go to writers of the songs._

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_**Christmas Day**_

We were sitting around a Christmas tree that was set up in the practice room, Austin, Dez, Trish, Dad and I. We had opened presents and thanked each other already. I was so glad I had friends like these. I couldn't think of anyone better to share Christmas with. And my mom would be flying in this afternoon! It was so exciting, I hadn't seen her in about a year, when she left for Africa.

We were laughing about some stupid joke Dez had told when Austin caught his breath and said "Okay, okay. Ally and I have one more gift for you guys."

He pulls the disc out of his pocket. It's still untitled. He hands it to me, and I hand it to dad. He takes it and holds it like it's one of the most fragile things he's ever held.

"Is this your album?" He gapes, and I nod excitedly. "We finished it last night."

Austin hops up and walks to our piano, grabbing a piece of paper. He hands it to Trish. "These are the song names. We have twelve, as promised."

Dez takes the paper from Trish and reads them out loud...

Never Say Never

Here Comes Forever

Loud

The A Team

Little Things

What Do I Have To Do

I Want U Bad

Love Remains the Same

Fallin' For You

Say You'll Stay

Crazy 4 You

Springsteen

Austin grins at me. We had really finished the album! It was awesome. Dad looks at us, confused. "No title?" He asks, and we shake our head. "We actually never could think of one. But we're gonna go get a photographer to take some pictures of us for the cover, then we'll decide which one to use."

Austin puts his arm around me. "We don't need a title for the album, anyway. We're not putting this album up for sale. It's the one and only copy. It's ours." He says. I blush.

Trish grins. "Cool! It sounds really good. Let's put it in the player!"

Dad leaves a few songs in, because his phone rings, but Trish and Dez stay through all twelve songs. They loved it.

"Are you sure you don't want to sell this, you guys?" Asked Trish, "This could make a lot of money!"

"Yeah," Dez adds, "just look at how many views 'Little Things' got!"

Austin hold up his palm. "Our minds are made up. Sorry, guys!"

Trish huffs, then shrugs her shoulders. "That's fine. It's really good, guys." She smiles, and so do I, and I hug her.

New Years Day

"Hey guys, good to be back for 2013!" Austin announced to his crowd at the sports bar, and they all cheered. "Glad I could be here today, even though I'm not usually here on Tuesdays."

The bar had asked Austin to do a special performance on New Years instead of on Monday, when he was usually there.

He sang 'Loud', our third song on the album. It was definitely one of my favorites, his too. I could always tell by the way he sang it, and started clapping.

_Come on, get loud_

_Loud_

_Let it out_

_Shout it out from the rooftops_

I always loved how well the crowd paid attention to him. As soon as he got on the stage to sing, they would all turn away from the televisions, or the person they were talking to, and they would all turn to him. He acted as if he didn't know that he was so well liked, even though he knew it as well as I did. A drunk guy had even asked for a picture with him last Friday.

He smiled and pointed at me as he sang the last line:

_I've been lookin' for the one tonight_

I blushed, and took a sip from my soda. He thanked everyone and hopped off stage. Trish and Dez hadn't come with us tonight, because Dez had some new video to shoot, and Trish wanted to star in it... Shocker.

He headed towards me, and sat down next to me. "That was a good performance." I complimented him, and he shrugs. "It was alright." He mutters, and I roll my eyes and punch him in the shoulder. He grins at me.

We exit the bar and walk to his car. He unlocks it and I hop in the passenger side. "Where you wanna go?" He asks me, "There's no school tomorrow because Christmas break doesn't end for two more days, and it's only 9:30."

It was kinda late, but I wasn't really tired, anyways.

"We could go to your house and watch a movie? Or we could video call Ian?"

His eyes lit up. "Great idea!" He exclaimed, and he handed me his phone. "Text him and tell him."

At his house, Austin eagerly pulled out his laptop, and we called his brother.

"Hey!" Ian said with a smile when he saw us. "Hi," I said, and Austin just waved.

"Good news." Ian said. "What?" Austin asked. "I've decided to go to college. I'm going to go to University of California at Los Angeles!"

"UCLA?" I gasped, "Ian, that's awesome!"

"What are you majoring in?" Austin asked.

"Business," Ian sighed, "I didn't really know what else to major in, you know?"

Austin shrugs, and I nod. "That's not a bad thing to major in. You'll have a great time in college, Ian."

Ian nods. "Well, guys, I'm gonna hop off here and go grab some dinner."

Austin raised an eyebrow. "Dinner? Ian, it's like 10."

Ian rolls his eyes. "It's only 7 here, Austin. Time zone difference, duh." I can't help but giggle as Austin bites his lip.

We say goodbye and hang up.

"Short exchange," I sigh, "but atleast we got to speak to him."

Austin nods. "I'm really glad he's going to go to college. I hope he can come up with enough money."

I tak his hand in mine. "Austin, Ian is an adult now, and he can take care of himself."

Austin looks considerate for a moment, then he nods, and gently plants a kiss on my forehead.

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**A/N** _Okay, so, maybe not the absolute best chapter, but it's okay. :) Tell me what you thought, and__** review, favorite, and follow!**_


	26. New Schedules & New Plans

**A/N** _So, I'm having a bit of writer's block. But chances are I may not be able to update for you guys tomorrow, so I'm going to try to get it done anyways. Forgive me. :( I'm also totally consumed in the NCAA these days lol. But that's beside the point! Let's all do a little happy dance because I successfully made it halfway through at story! -happy dance- I never do that. I must thank you guys tremendously for nearly 100 reviews, and (last time I checked) over 21,000 views! Cray crayy. Thanks you all. :) Enjoy! ಌ_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

Today was the first day of the start of the second semester at Miami High School. I had made all A's last semester, but it was a new schedule, and new teachers. I have to admit, I got that whole new feeling that I got on the first day of school all over again. It all disappeared when Austin offered to pick me up and take me to school, though.

He imminently asked to see my schedule when I got in the car with him. I gently slipped the folded up piece of paper out of the pocket of my backpack, and then handed it to him.

His chocolate eyes studied it for a moment, and then he frowned.

"What?" I asked him confused.

"Only one class together..." He observed with a pitiful look, "Not even the same lunch."

Now I'm frowning. "What class is it?" I ask him, and he replies, "Calculus... Ugh." Then he carefully folds the paper back up and hands it to me once more.

"Well," I say with a sigh, "maybe since you're in there, it will make the class slightly less painful?"

He scoffs. "Doubt it, babe. Calculus is hell. Or, so I've heard anyway."

We pull in to the school parking lot right about then. He comes around and opens my door for me, then he takes my hand as we walk towards the entrance. I think people were slowly adjusting to Austin dating me. People had finally... Accepted me, I guess. I got off pretty lucky, considering Austin and I hit it off pretty much right off the bat. I graze my thumb over the promise ring on my left hand. I think it was meant to be.

He walks me to my locker, where Trish soon finds me. "Ready for this?" She groans, and I shrug. "Austin and I only have one class together."

Trish pulls her wrinkled up schedule out of her back pocket and hands it to me. "Check it out," she says, "if it's still legible..."

It was, and I was happy to see that I had two classes with Trish. Not as many as last time, but it would do. We also had the same lunch. I hand her back the schedule and say, "Two classes and the same lunch."

She shrugs. "Not bad. But, you know what's terrible?" She smacks her palm to her forehead. I stare at her in confusion. "What?" I ask.

Right about then, Dez runs up to us and says "I have all classes with Trish!" excitedly.

Austin kind of chuckles and I giggle. Trish stares at me in anger. "That's what's terrible."

"Aww," I say with a laugh, "you guys can be best friends this semester! Come on, Trish, Dez is a senior! He won't be here forever!"

"Yeah," Dez says with a grin, "I've already applied to Florida State and University of Miami!" Then he turns to Austin. "Where have you applied, Austin?"

Ausin bites his lip. "Well... Nowhere, Dez. I mean, I wasn't planning on going to college, but then all that stuff happened with Ian so... I mean, I don't know." He runs a hand through his hair, and my heart sinks. I hadn't really considered that Austin may still want to go to college since Ian was now across the country.

Dez slumps his shoulders. "Bummer. We could be roommates."

Austin sighs. "I'll think about it, okay, Dez? But I'm not hopping on any decisions. I'd need a scholarship."

Dez nods. "I've applied for a bunch of those. You should go pick some up from the guidance office."

Dez may not at first come off as a smart guy, but he was a genius. At his school work, I mean. He was in beta club, and had a very high GPA. Austin was smart, too, but Dez was still ahead of him. I really don't know how, though, because when I first met him, I thought he was an idiot or something. I mean, I really don't get it.

The bell rings, and Austin and I go our seperate ways. Trish, Dez, and I walk to class together, and I try to get the thought of Austin going to college off of my mind.

* * *

**A/N**_ Uh oh. Some return of college talk? Hmm. Hope y'all liked it. I'll try my best to update some time tomorrow, but if I can't, it will be the day after that. Sorry! Well, don't forget to** review, favorite, and follow!** I'd love to hear where you think this story is leading? :) Also, sorry my chapters are kind of short lately. :/ School has been totally crazy for me lately. But thanks for all the love and support anyways haha! Seriously, THANK YOU._

_Fun Fact: Ross Lynch often records vocals shirtless. -fans face with hand-_


	27. Writer's Announcement!

**Hey, guys! I may be able to get a chapter up tonight, but I don't know.**

**Anyways, this is my first writer's announcement, and I really don't usually write these for anything, but I felt the need to. :) Because this morning, I had an idea. An idea for a sequel to this fanfiction.**

**So, here's the deal. I have 100 reviews, 33 favorites, and 58 followers as of now. :) I'm so thankful, by the way!**

**If I can get 200 reviews, 66 favorites, and 116 followers by a week after the end of this story, I will write a sequel.**

******I know it's kind of early for this, but I want to see how you guys will respond to this. My idea for the sequel is lovely, and I have to admit I'm proud of myself lol.**

**So, keep it up guys! Tell your friends, anything! The story is halfway over. If I can get twice as many reviews, favorites, and follows as I have now, you guys will get a sequel.**

**Love, always xoxo**

**Keep reading!**


	28. Boredom & Beach Bums

**A/N **_Hey guys! First off, anyone who hasn't read my Writer's Announcement yet needs to, because it's important if you want a sequel! :) Second, sorry I wasn't able to post a chapter yesterday. Wish I could have but I was busy! Third, enjoy this chapter!_

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**DISCLAIMER: **_I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own "What Do I Have To Do?" By Ross Lynch / R5._

* * *

_'Cause you walk into the room_

_Girl, you know you got it_

_Baby, look around_

_You got a lot of options_

_What do I have to do?_

_What do I have to do?_

Austin was rehearsing for his next gig in a few days on the piano, and I was sitting on the couch trying to think up some new lyrics in my Book.

"I really like this song, Ally." He says to me after finishing. I look up. "Oh, thanks." I say with a smile. I had written 'What Do I Have to Do?' by myself. I was quite proud of it, too.

He comes and takes a seat next to me. "Whatcha writin'?" He asks in a little kid voice. I grin at him and shut my Book. "Nothing." I say. He raises an eyebrow. "I can't see?" He asks, and I shake my head. "I don't have enough written down yet."

He rolls his eyes and gets off the couch.

Just then, my dad calls up the stairs to the practice room. "Ally!" He yells, "Can you come run the store for me for a little while?"

I check my clock on my phone, and... Yep. Free sample time at the Food Court.

"Sure, dad." I tell him as I walk down the stairs. Austin follows me.

He sits in the floor behind the counter while I sit on a stool.

"Wanna go to the beach later with Dez and Trish?" He asks. I shrug. "That would be fine with me, after I watch the store for about an hour."

He pouts. "An hour? That's a long time."

I grin at him. "It's my job, Austin. Maybe you should get a job?"

"Can I work here?" He asks with a really cute smile." I ruffle his blonde hair. "No, you can't work here. Dad doesn't want to hire any more employees. But maybe you can work somewhere else in the Mall?" I suggest.

He shrugs, and pulls out his phone. He giggles and shows me a picture of a cat making a funny face. I raise my eyebrow.

"Dez sent it to me." He explains, then begins typing. Dez and Austin were always sending weird stuff to each other.

I pull out my own phone and put in my earpods. Then I crank up my music, because there weren't any customers around anyways.

I was soon interrupted when my music paused because Trish texted me.

**My house. Now.**

I bit my lip and replied...

**I can't. I have to watch the store for a little while. What's so urgent that it can't wait?**

It took about a minute before she answered.

**Oh, nothing. I'm just bored.**

I roll my eyes and don't bother to reply. Trish had me worried there for a second. Austin stands up from his spot next to me on the floor.

"Can you just get Trish to bring you to my house when you're finished up here? I mean, she can go by your house and get you the stuff you need for the beach." He tells me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I can do that."

He smiles, and I reach up and kiss him. He was so much taller than me, I had to get off the stool and stand up on my tippy-toes to reach him.

He leaves the store, and I text Trish.

**We're all going to the beach later. Can you go by my house and get my red bikini, sunglasses, and beach towel? You can just shove it all in a drawstring bag. Come by here when you're done. Oh! Don't forget my sun tan lotion.**

She replied,

**On it.**

It was about 20 minutes before Trish arrived, my stuff in tow. It was another 15 minutes after that that we had to wait for my dad to arrive back.

"I'll change in to my stuff at Austin's house." I tell her, and then we walk to her car to take the short drive to Austin's.

When he opens the door, he's shirtless in solid black shorts. I intake my breath, as I always do when I see my boyfriend's body.

He smiles and opens the door wider to allow Trish and I entrance. I change in his bathroom, and when I come out, Dez is now with Austin and Trish.

We were ready to go.

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**A/N** _Hope you all liked it! I had to write it all on my iPod because I'm on a long car ride, but that's all good! __**Review, favorite, and follow!**__ :)_


	29. Sweet Spots & Surfing

**A/N **_Chapter 28 is heeere! :) not a very exciting chapter, I'm afraid, but I may can get another chapter up by later tonight. Also, I think I'm going to go back and name all the chapters, because the order is all messed up, and it's freaking me out haha. I just love writing for you guys! You're all so nice. I don't think I've had a single bad review yet. :) Thanks, and enjoy xx_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"Wow, the beach is really crowded." I comment as we step on to the sand. There were people everywhere, and we had searched for a decent sized spot for about ten minutes without any luck.

I see Austin bite his lip. "Why don't we go to the place where we used to have the bonfires, guys? There won't be anyone there."

This was a big step for Austin, considering how many bad memories that place must hold. But, then again, it held a lot of good memories, too.

We arrived in about thirty minutes, but it was worth the drive. There wasn't a soul in sight.

We excitedly hurry down the bank and on to the soft sand. "Wow," Trish said excitedly, "we should have done this a long time ago!"

We all laugh in agreement and spread out a few beach towels and a bed sheet. Austin puts down his surfboard that he had decided to bring along and sits on it.

"Are you going to surf?" I ask him, after taking a sip from a bottle of water. He nods. "Want to learn?" He asks.

I shrug. "It would be fun, but I'm kind of clumsy."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I know. But I bet I could teach you."

I raise an eyebrow and smirk. "Well, then, I guess it's a challenge."

He grabs my hand and runs to the water with his surf board tucked under his other arm.

We run in to the ocean. He doesn't let go of my hand as he helps me on to the board. I push my wet hair out of my face. "Do I not get to see you do it first?" I asked nervously as I saw a wave welling up in the distance. He shook his head. "This is how my dad taught me when I was little. Just wing it."

Then he let go of the board.

My eyes get big, and I start swimming away from the wave as I've seen them do in the movies. I felt the board getting lifted up higher.

I stood up, but too fast, and I fell right off. I came up out of the water with a gasp, and saw the board getting washed up on the shore. I guess I forgot to secure it to my ankle.

I feel Austin's hand grip my arm. "Nice first try," he said to me with a smile, "my first try, I didn't even stand up."

I grin at him. "Let's save this for another day."

I can tell he's going to try arguing with me, but he thinks better of it, and nods. We collect his board off the shore and head back to where Dez and Trish are sitting.

"Nice wipeout, Ally." Dez giggles, and Trish smacks him. Dez pouts, then rolls over so that he's laying on his belly.

Trish smirks and motions for me to hand her the sunblock that's laying a few feet away. I give it to her, confused.

Then, she writes 'KICK ME' on Dez's back with it.

Austin throws his hand over his mouth and tries not to laugh. I just roll my eyes and grin at Trish, as she nonchalantly puts the cap back on the sunblock and opens a magazine.

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**A/N** _Hahah. I've always wanted to do this to someone. I just don't have to guts to, I'm afraid. __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	30. Sunburns & Singing Together

**A/N** _I know the past for chapters have been short, sorry about that. :/ I know this chapter totally sucks, but I said I was going to try to get another one up tonight, and I did. Thanks for the patience! I will definitely try to have a long one up tomorrow. I'm doing my best... xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own "What Do I Have to Do" By Ross Lynch / R5, nor did I write any of the lyrics or anything like that._

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**_Monday..._**

_You've got them all hypnotized_

_Dragging them round by the eyes_

_Oh_

_They're lined up shoulder to shoulder_

_Like dominoes you keep knocking them over_

_And all them fools got diamond rings just waiting for you_

_And I can't fool myself but we both know it's true_

_Cuz you walk into the room,_

_Girl you know you got it_

_Baby look around,_

_You got a lot of options_

_What do I have to do?_

_What do I have to do?_

_You're looking like a queen,_

_Walking through the palace_

_Fallin' on my knees,_

_Babe I'm losing balance_

_What do I have to do?_

_to be the latest choice_

_Oh oh oh_

_Yeah_

_Your lips got me wondering why_

_I'm tangled in lame pick up lines_

_Oh_

_Something is taking over_

_You've got my heart set on roller coaster_

_I'm chasing you around,_

_You got your leash on me too_

_I wish that I could fool myself,_

_But we both know it's true_

_Cuz you walk into the room,_

_Girl you know you got it_

_Baby look around,_

_You got a lot of options_

_What do I have to do?_

_What do I have to do?_

_You're looking like a queen,_

_Walking through the palace_

_Fallin' on my knees,_

_Babe I'm losing balance_

_What do I have to do?_

_Oh oh oh_

_See I will fly you to Paris_

_I'll even learn the language_

_Vous avez de tres beaux yeux_

_Oooh so beautiful_

_Climb the Eiffel Tower_

_Touch the moon and call it ours_

_Yeah_

_'Cause it'd never shine as bright as you_

_When you walked into the room_

_I never had a chance_

_Tell me what do I have to do?_

_What do I have to do?_

_'Cause you walk into the room,_

_Girl you know you got it_

_Baby look around,_

_You got a lot of options_

_What do I have to do?_

_What do I have to do?_

_You're looking like a queen,_

_Walking through the palace_

_Fallin' on my knees,_

_Girl I'm losing balance_

_What do I have to do?_

_to be the latest choice_

_Ooooh_

I clap as Austin finishes up his performance, along with everybody else. He bows and hops off the tiny stage. He makes his way towards me and Dez, who had tagged along, and still hadn't said a word about what had been sunburned in to his back. Silly ginger hadn't applied sunblock before Trish pulled her stunt, and he was burnt to a crisp. We hadn't seen him shirtless today, though, so we weren't sure what the "KICK ME" looked like yet.

"Nice, I love that song." Dez complimented Austin. They did their handshake, and Austin put his arm around me.

"Thanks, but Ally wrote the whole thing. I like it to." He replied, and I smile up at him.

"Let's get out of here," I tell him, "these people are drunk." He agrees, and we all walk out together to head to Austin's car. Dez had carpooled with us.

Once in the car, Dez groans and says, "Wow, this shirt is really irritating my back." And he pulls it off and sighs in relief. I hold in a giggle.

"So, Dez..." Austin sighs, "We need to get a new video up on YouTube. Maybe we can post one of me singing on Friday."

Dez snaps his fingers and points at Austin. "Great idea. What song are you going to sing?"

Austin shrugs. "Don't know yet."

Dez huffs. "I hope this video can get as many views as the last one. That video went viral, man. I can't believe you only got one gig oppurtunity... At a bar..."

Austin smirks and looks at Dez in the rearview. "This one will probably get more views... Since my beautiful girlfriend will be in it with me."

I look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, will I?" I ask questioningly, and he smiles. "Why, did I not mention that I talked to the manager, and he said he'd be glad to see you perform with me?"

I fistpump. "Yay! That's great. We'll need to rehearse." He nods in agreement.

We stop at Dez's house, and he thanks us before getting out of the car. I nearly piss myself when I finally get to see the "KICK ME" when he passes through the illumination of a light on in the house. Austin's dying as well, and he quickly snaps a picture to send to Trish.

When we catch our breath and wipe the tears from our faces, we finally back out of the driveway and he heads towards my house. He holds my hand on the way there, and continuously brushes his thumb over my promise / purity ring gently.

Once there, I turn and look him in the eyes. "Can you come to Sonic Boom after school tomorrow so we can practice?" I ask him sweetly.

He grins. "You know I can't say 'no' to that face. Of course I will, Ally. I'll even drive you there."

I wrap my arms around his neck as best I can in the car. "You're the best." I murmur, and he pulls me in to a long kiss before I exit the car. He winks at me before I shut the door, just like he used to. This boy meant the world to me.

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**A/N **_Once again, I KNOW it's super short and sucky. I sorry. D: The lyrics just make it seem long. Good chapter tomorrow, I promise. **Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	31. Singing & Studying

**A/N**_ I know I promised you all a good, long chapter today, and you're going to get it! I actually am writing both of them kind of at the same time, and the good one will be after this one. :) I will post them close together. I think you all will like both of them, but hey, that's just my opinion. :) Enjooooy._

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran, nor do I associate with Ed Sheeran, or write any of the lyrics._

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School went by reasonable fast the next day, and I hurried out to Austin's car. He was already there, waiting for me. We cranked up the music loud on the way to Sonic Boom, and laughed as we sang along. We both greeted my dad when we got there, then ran up the stairs and raced to the piano bench. He beat me.

"Hah!" He laughed, catching his breath. We both laugh for a moment before recomposing ourselves and getting down to business "What song do you want to sing?" He asks me, and I shrug. "What do you think would make a good duet?" I hang him my Book. He's the only one I will ever trust to look in there.

"Well," he says, flipping through the old pages, "I would obviously say 'Never Say Never', but I sang that the first time I had a gig there." He stops when he reaches something he seems to be interested in. "How about 'The A Team'?" He suggests. I nodded. "Okay, sounds good to me."

"How about I sing first verse, you sing second verse, and we sing all of the choruses together?" He decides, and I say, "I think that would be fine. The choruses are pretty long, so it will work out good."

I don't know what we were discussing like this, because we already knew 'The A Team' sounded great as a duet. We had recorded it for the album together. A little less than half of the songs on the album we had recorded together.

We rehearsed for about thirty minutes on the song, which we soon realized was pointless, because we had perfected a while back. It was a sad song, but it flowed, and it was almost addicting.

"Well," he sighed, "wanna do anything else?"

I stuck out my lip. "I wish, but I have a ton of homework."

"Calculus?" He asks. I nod.

He smiles. "Study date?"

I consider it. I was afraid that we wouldn't get anything done, but I couldn't say no.

He runs out to his car to get our backpacks, then plops down on the couch. He pats the spot next to him.

I join him, and we pull out our books. We groaned at the sight of the assignment. It would take us an hour and a half at a minimum.

We sat there, wallowing in our own misery, as we studied our homework and slowly filled out worksheets. By the time we finished, the estimated time later, I felt like I would never want to touch a calculator again. I was glad I had accepted Austin's offer to work on it together, though, because he surprisingly helped me stay on task the whole time.

"Well," he sighed, getting up and stretching, "I'm going to go on home and video call Ian to see how he's doing." His face droops. "I miss that guy."

I frown, feeling sorry for him. I didn't think he would get over this until him and his brother were reunited again.

I stood up too, and hugged him. My dad called up to the practice room, saying "Ally! I'm about to go home if you want to catch a ride with me!"

"Okay!" I called back.

Austin put his forehead to mine. "Sure you don't want me to take you home?"

I smiled. "You've done enough for me today."

He kisses my forehead , then gathers his books and puts them back in his backpack. "I'll see you tomorrow." He says to me.

I raise my eyebrow. "There's no school tomorrow." I point out. It was a teacher workday, so students had the day off.

He just shrugs his shoulders and heads out the door. I brush off conversation and begin to gather my own books.

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**A/N** _Next chapter will be posted shortly! In the mean time, you should **review, favorite, and follow!**_


	32. The Fifth Month & Three Words

**A/N** _I promised you guys a good, long chapter. So, here it is, revolving around Auslly. :) I hope you all enjoy. :D_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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I'm startled awake by the feeling of someone laying on top of me. I blink my eyes, my vision still fuzzy, until I can register the light flowing through my window, and Austin's brown eyes staring at me.

I gasp, and look at the clock. Nine a.m... It was a teacher workday at school. What was he doing here?

"Happy five-months." He murmurs, and plants a kiss on my cheek.

Five months? Wow, had it been that long? I think of all we've been through... Nights on The Pier, grazing hands at the piano, Ian's conviction, a promise ring... It had all gone by so fast.

"What's so special about the fifth month?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, realizing that we hadn't even celebrated any of the others. He shrugs. "Well, we were so busy doing all this other crazy stuff that we've been doing that we haven't really realized that we've been skipping all these important dates."

He was right, I suppose. I knew the date we started dating well: August 15th. Today was January 15th. There's just something about dates like this that get burrowed in to the back of your mind, but I didn't realize that the same went for guys.

"How did you remember?" I murmur. He's stroking his thumb across my cheek. "I have it pinned up in my room on a sticky note." He giggles, and so do I. "You're kidding, right?" I ask him, and he shakes his head.

He slides off of the top of me and gets under the covers next to me. I just now can notice the boquet of five roses on my night stand. How sweet.

"What do you want to do today?" He asks me, and I shrug. "Whatever you want to do, blondie."

He rolls his eyes, and I sit up. "I know one thing for sure, though... I need a shower."

My hair was up in a messy bun, and the mascara I had applied the day before was still on. I felt pretty gross next to Austin, who was fresh and fit as always, and smelled like a summer breeze.

"I can wait on you." He says, propping up on one elbow. I bite my lip, suddenly realizing that I'm not wearing any pants. Just my underwear and a baggy tee shirt.

"What?" He asks, noticing my expression.

"Uh..." I trail off, "I'm not fully clothed."

He laughs and falls back down on my bed. "No pants?" He asks, and I nod. "Not even boxers?" He adds, and I smile and roll my eyes.

"It's not like I've not seen you in your panties before, Ally..." He says with a grin, and I remember that day when we fell asleep at the piano, and when I took a shower at his house and needed a hairdryer. I approached him in my underwear without realizing it. How embarrassing.

I knew he was right, though, so I just self consciously pulled down the baggy shirt before standing up to go gather something to wear. "Any ideas on what my outfit should be?" I ask him, walking towards my closet.

He looks pretty thoughtful. I'm rummaging through the hangers when he says, "Wear a dress. They look good on you."

I smile, and head to where I hang my dresses. My eyes fall upon a yellow dress that hugged my figure. I grabbed it and hung it over my arm, then walked to my under garments drawer to grab whatever I would need out of there. And then, I finally headed to my bathroom.

"I'll try to be quick," I tell him, "don't break anything." I add humorously. He just grins and winks at me. Ah, swoon.

Once I had undressed and taken off my rings and such, I remember how Austin had snuck in to my bathroom that time, and I lock the door, suddenly self conscious. I shower in about ten minutes, and finish my hair and makeup in about twenty more. It was pretty fast, for me.

I get myself in to the dress, put on my rings, and looked at myself in the mirror that hung off my bathroom door. I liked the way it accented my skin tone, it was pretty bright, but not too bright. Lovely.

I walk out, barefoot, and see Austin laying across my bed, scrolling through his phone. "Don't look yet," I demand, and he enthusiastically throws his hand over his eyes. I giggle and walk to my jewelry box, pulling out a headband with a blue flower attached, and some blue bead bracelets along with a matching necklace.

I wonder if I have any blue heels or wedges, so I head to my closet to find out. In the back, there was the perfect shade of blue sandals that I could wear. I went back to the bathroom and took one last look at myself in the full-body mirror before approving, and walking back out.

"Okay," I say, "you can open your eyes."

He takes one look at me and smiles. He gets off my bed to get a better look at me. Now, though, I can see that he's wearing a blue v-neck with black pants and yellow converse. Wow, that was unexpected.

"I swear I didn't mean to do that..." I mutter, and he laughs, realizing too that we match. "I think that's pretty funny. Ironic, kinda."

"Does it bother you?" I ask, lightening up, and he shakes his head. "No, not at all. I love the outfit..." He walks towards me and grabs both of my hands. "You're gorgeous."

I blush. "Thanks." I whisper, and he smiles.

He begins leading me towards the doorway, and I grab my phone and wallet on the way out.

He makes me put on a blindfold while in his car. "I thought you didn't have anything really planned?" I mutter, tying the thing behind my head. "What makes you say that?" He asks, and I scoff. "You asked me what I wanted to do today?"

He laughs and says no more. I just dismiss it as I buckle my seat belt.

It takes us about twenty boring minutes to arrive to our destination. Austin doesn't talk until we park, and I reach up to remove my blindfold. "Don't!" He orders me, and I hear him get out of the car. My door opens soon after, and he helps me out.

"Where are we?" I ask eagerly, and he shushes me. I cross my arms in impatience and he leads me by the waist.

"Okay," he murmurs, "take it off."

I gasp when I finally get to remove what was blinding me. A boat sat docked in front of me.

I look at him excitedly. "Are we going on it?"

He nods. "I rented it for the day. Just us."

I tilt my head. "You know how to drive a boat?"

He nods. "It's not too hard. Anyways, come on."

It was just a small boat, it kind of looked like a pontoon. He helped me in to it, and I could see we were at a dock where I could see the larger buildings of Miami a few miles away. There were other boats around, with other people walking around. It was pretty.

We were soon further out in the ocean, and other boats dotted the distance. I was beginning to wish I had brought my sunglasses. The sun shone brightly, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The water was crystal clear and beautiful. He stops driving and comes to sit next to me. "What do you think?" He asks, and I smile. "Very creative, Mr. Moon. I love it."

He puts his arm around my shoulder. "And I love you."

My heart stops. Did he just say that? To me?

I stare at him. "You... Love... Me?" I ask, dumbfounded. His face blushes as he gently nods. Now I'm smiling.

He swallows. "I've never told anybody else that before. You mean a lot to me, Ally. I gave you a promise ring. I've been with you five wonderful months. And yes, I think I love you."

I stare honestly in to his eyes. "Don't say it unless you know it." I whisper.

A smile crosses his face. "Let me reword that: There is no doubt in my mind that I love you, Ally Dawson."

I grin. It was my turn to blush. I had never said it either... Until now.

"And there is no doubt in my mind that I love you, Austin Moon."

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**A/N**_ Awwwww. I hope you guys liked it! In my opinion, it's a big deal for a guy to tell you they love you if you're dating, so now it's getting pretty serious. I just love Auslly. Be sure to **review, favorite, and follow!** I love getting reviews, guys, but I haven't been getting many lately, so I would love it if you would send me some. :) We're getting closer to our goal for the sequel, so keep them coming!_


	33. No Eyeliner & No Excuses

**A/N** _I didn't get as many reviews on the last chapter as I had hoped for. :( Boo. But, I'm going to take that as a sign that the story isn't as interesting as it needs to be? :) I probably shouldn't have set my goal to 50 chapters since it makes them so short and drawn out, but once I set a goal, I accomplish it... Most of the time. Haha, anyways, I'm having a bit of writer's block, but I'll try my best to make this chapter interesting. But PLEASEE leave a review and tell me what you thought when you finish! I love, love, love reading reviews! Thanks xx_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Leah. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

Austin had driven me home that night, and I went to sleep and woke up with a warm, fuzzy feeling. I had texted Trish, and she called me screaming happily... I think she may of shed a few tears. It was nice to have Trish as a friend, there really wasn't any in between for her with happiness and anger. She was one or the other, but to my luck, most of the time she was happy.

I sighed happily, still under my covers, wishing that Austin would bust through that door right about now. Alas, it was a school day, and I needed to get up and start getting ready.

I groaned and pulled the covers off of me and gathered some peach skinny jeans and a gray shirt with peach flowers on it. I headed to the bathroom, locked the door, and showered. I hummed to myself the song that Austin and I would be performing tomorrow night.

I stepped out and toweled off, then my phone, which was sitting on the counter, began buzzing. I checked the caller... None other than the lovely "_Blondie Wuvs Yooo_!", a.k.a Austin. I realized now that, when Austin had set the name in my phone as his contact after we started dating, he essentially put 'Austin loves you', but I knew he was just messing at that point. I knew he probably hadn't even considered the fact that he may love me then.

I answer the phone, my fingers slipping across the screen because they were still damp. "Hello?"

"Ally, hey! I'm in your driveway."

I cock an eyebrow and wipe my hand across my mirror. "My driveway? Why?"

"I'm taking you to school, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm nowhere near ready. I just got out of the shower, I'm not even dressed."

"Ooh, can I come in?"

I roll my eyes. "No." I can't help but giggle. "Seriously, though, it's early."

I hear him sigh. "Text me when you're presentable so that I can at least come up and talk to you so that I don't have to be bored in the car."

"Deal." I tell him, then hang up the phone, reaching for my undergarnments.

Once I'm clothed and I've toweled out my hair, I send him a text, and he soon walks in the door, greets me, and sits on the floor outside the bathroom while I scrunch mousse into my hair. "Morning, handsome." I greet him back. "So, what's the rush?"

He shrugs. "I guess I didn't realize what time it was. I couldn't sleep last night, so I got up too early I suppose."

I raise an eyebrow. "Couldn't sleep?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "No idea why. Seriously, I don't know. I guess it was the neighbors dog barking or something." He rubs his fists in to his eyes, then blinks a few times. "I'm exhausted."

I pout my lip out at him. "I'm sorry. Wanna lay down while I'm getting ready?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. I'd rather talk to you."

I blush.

I finish gently applying my mascara and blink a few times in the mirror. "Eyeliner, or no eyeliner?" I ask, and Austin takes no time to answer by saying "No eyeliner. You're gorgeous."

I must admit, I was shocked. I loved the way eyeliner accented my eyes, so I decided he was probably just saying that because he felt he was being tested.

"No, I'm serious." I tell him, "Eyeliner, or no eyeliner?"

He cocks an eyebrow at me. "No eyeliner, I just told you."

I shrug and decide he might have been telling the truth, so I put the pencil back in my makeup bag and zip it. "When my hair dries, we can leave."

"When it dries? You're not drying it yourself?" He asks me.

I shrug. "I decided to just put some mousse in it today. I felt lazy."

"Is your hair naturally wavy?"

I shrug. "It's kind of curly naturally, really.

He tilts his head to the side. "Then why do you curl it with an iron?"

I shrug. "They're more tame curls, you know? Prettier."

He stands up now, and puts his hands on my shoulders, making me look him in the eyes. "Ally, the prettiest you are and ever will be is when you are all natural. No makeup, hair without anything in it. You're the most beautiful person I know. Don't ever change yourself for me or anyone else, ever."

I swallow hard. "Okay."

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't going to stop wearing makeup or curling my hair as I pleased. But I never would change who I was for anybody.

I finally finish up and grab my backpack and whatever else I will need, put on some gray wedges, and get a nutrition bar when I pass the kitchen. We get to his car, and he opens the door for me, and we drive away.

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive?" I ask, once again realizing how sleepy he is, and he shakes his head. "I'm find, Alls." He squeezes my hand.

We, thankfully, get to the school parking lot without going off a bank, as Ian had done. I try to clear my head of the thought as I get out of the car and put my backpack over my shoulders. He holds my hand as we walk.

Just as we enter the doors, I'm shocked when he quickly releases my hand and puts his arm behind his head nervously, and urges me to walk fast.

"What-?" I mutter, and he shakes his head. "I'll explian later."

I feel eyes burning in to my spine as I continue walking with Austin to his locker.

I'm shocked by the turn of events. "Austin!" I hiss when we reach our destination. "What was that all about?"

"Uh.. Um..." He stutters, and for the first time, I feel myself getting angry with Austin. Was he ashamed of me? It was his own fault, because he told me not to wear eyeliner. I bet one of his little friends snickered at my new appearance.

Somehow, it's as if he can read my thoughts. "No, no!" He gasps. "It's not like that." He sighs and runs a hand through his mop of platinum hair.

"Okay... There was this girl last year. Her name was Leah. We had a thing, but we were never really officially together. She moved away, though, last summer, right after school ended. That's kind of when I began having parties and going downhill, and things started happening with Kira... I was heartbroken, Ally. But then I met you, and it all changed... You were like the light on my dark path. Yeah, I kept having parties, but I never really drank again..." He shakes his head, obviously not knowing what else to say.

I cock my eyebrow and cross my arms. "Everything you're saying is completely irrelevant to what just happened."

He swallows hard and looks me right in the eyes. "She's back. I just saw her."

_**To Be Continued...**_

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**A/N** _Cliffhanger! Please, please, PLEASE **review, favorite, and follow!** I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow night. Thankies. :D_


	34. Old Flames & Old Pains

**A/N** _Here's the next part! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D Also, sorry it's short! I've been in a rush to get it done tonight as I had promised! xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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My breath catches in my throat and my heart sinks. "So?"

"I saw her, and she looked at me, and she looked so excited, and... And then she saw you, and... I don't know, I felt so bad all of a sudden. Because we never really officially cut things off..."

I put a hand over my mouth. "Austin! You never told me any of this..."

He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear. "I never expected to see her again. I have no clue why she's back, and she hasn't texed me or communicated whatsoever since she left..."

I shake my head. "You're mine, Austin Moon."

He chuckles and leans against the locker. "Ally, never think I have or ever will cheat on you. I thought I cared about Leah, I did. But not near as much as I care about you. We never had as strong of a connection, I never told her I loved her. Not to mention Trish and Dez, maybe even Ian, hate her... Well, hate is a strong word, but, you know."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why?"

He gently bites his lip. "I guess she can come off as sort of... You know, typical snob. Her parents are rich. They moved away because of a job her dad got offered in New York City. Maybe he got laid off and they're moving back to start up their old buisness, I don't know."

I shrug as the bell rings, not being granted enough time to ask what the so-called 'buisness' was. I look him in the eyes before I walk away and said, "Austin, I want you to set things right with her."

He looked at me for a moment before slowly nodding.

I headed towards my own locker to quickly grab my textbooks when Trish stops me, anger crossing her face. "I'm so mad!" She hisses, and I'm taken aback. "At me?" I ask, continuing to walk, and her expression lightens and she quickly shakes her head. "No, no. Austin's old flame has moved back to the school! Ughhh I hate her!" She stamps her foot on the ground.

I dig in my locker. "Yeah, Austin's already told me everything. Leah, right? I told him he needed to set things right."

Trish's eyes are burning. "She's a spoiled rotten brat. And that is all she ever will be. I have no idea what Austin ever saw in her, but there's no doubt in my mind that you're going to have trouble with that one, Ally."

I gently close my locker. "What do you mean by that?" I ask absentmindedly.

Trish sighs. "She may end up giving you some trouble when she realizes her long-lost-love or whatever has ditched her. But hey, what did she expect? Austin's a hottie, he was bound to find someone else sooner or later..." She trails off, then continues a moment later. "I never thought Austin would be so tied down with someone, Ally. He really likes you... Or, loves you, more rather."

I blush, and then the tardy bell rings. "Shoot." I sigh, heading for my class, where I'm sure I will have points deducted off of my participation grade for being late. Trish follows me fast. "Ally, just remember: no matter what she says, don't let her put you down. Austin will stand by your side through whatever hell she has planned for you."

I wave her off. There couldn't possibly be someone be so evil that they could put me through living hell over Austin, right?

Wrong.

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**A/N** _Another cliffhanger, hehehehe. Unfortunately I may not be able to update this one for two or three days. :( Boo. Write me a review and tell me what you think Leah is going to do to Ally!** Review, favorite, and follow!** I love all the reviews I've gotten for last chapter! Makes me sooooo so soooooooooo happy! Thank you! It's an honor._

I also want to give a shoutout to some of my dedicated viewers who tend to review nearly every chapter:

**LoveShipper**

**primjay10**

**Musicluver3**

**Lady16**

You all are awesome! Thanks so much xoxo


	35. Writer's Announcement 2!

**Hey guys! I must apologize for not updating yet. :( I'm definitely going to update within the next day or two. Just wanted to let you all know that. c:**

**Also, the reviews, favorites, and follows are coming along great! I still need plenty more though. :) We need to reach 200 reviews, 66 favorites, and 116 follows by at least a week after the last chapter of the story is posted. When that will be, I don't know, but we still have plenty of time. :) I have faith in you guys, and I really want to write this sequel because I think it will be fantastic, but I won't feel the motivation I need to write it if I don't meet my goal. :( **

**Anyways, thank you all so much for your love and support! Appreciate it to the moon and back. :) byebyee!**


	36. Mean Girls & Messed Up Stuff

**A/N** _OKAY. Let me begin this by saying something. PLEASE READ. If my last Writer's Announcement offended anyone, I'm sorry. Well, not necessarily offended, but, just made anyone upset by me saying I wouldn't have the motivation to write a sequel unless I met my goal. Let me explain myself... I'm very, very busy. I wouldn't necessarily feel the motivation I was speaking of, simply because I want to know that the readers want the sequel as badly as I do. That's why I set up the challenge of 200 reviews, 66 favorites and 116 follows. That way you all could kind of prove that you wanted it. I LOVE writing for you all. but it takes a lot of time to write a good story, and when I'm taking the time to write them, I want to at least know that you all want to read it. So that's my explanation. Once again, so SOOO sorry if I let anyone down. :( I did not mean to do that at all. Please understand where I'm coming from. So, yeah... Here's the next chapter!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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Austin told her. Leah, that is.

When she had saw him, she had immediatley run up and hugged him, and he had very hesitantley hugged her back. Or, so Trish tells me. She watched them from afar as it happened. She says he got right to the point and that her face fell. First, she showed sadness, then anger. Then she just shrugged and walked away.

I have yet to see Leah, so it kind of freaks me out. Trish and I are in my room right now as she tells me this. She's painting her nails, and I'm sitting on my bed biting my own.

"Do you think she hates me, Trish?" I asked.

She nodded right away and said "Definitely."

I groan and fall back, putting a pillow over my face. "Just my luck! My first year in school and I've already made an enemy!"

Trish laughs loudly. "That's funny, Ally, because most girls who just came to a new school would already have a ton of enemies."

I raise my eyebrow and turn my head to look at her. "Really?"

She nods. "Totally." She blows on her nails then flaps her hand in the air. "You've done really good so far."

I grin. "Thanks, Trish."

The next day was the first time I saw her. That's when I understood why Austin had cared so much. She was totally stunning, with Blonde hair that flowed down her back in tamed waves, and bright green eyes. She had glowing skin and a perfect body. There was no way a guy could ever find her unattractive.

I was in the hall when I spotted her, and when she spotted me, she narrowed her eyes and flicked her hair, then walked on. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

"Austin," I breathed when I met him at his locker, "she hates me. And she's going to do something to us, I just know it."

He pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Don't worry, Ally. I'll never leave you." He kissed my promise ring, and I blushed as he closed his locker and walked to his class. He was the sweetest.

I knew that Austin wouldn't leave me, and I didn't worry about that. But things started getting bad for me about three weeks later. Girls began giving me menacing looks in the halls. It was all too real when I saw Leah give me a true snicker. I just put down my head in shame, wondering what she had started.

I found out as I was trying to sleep the night before Austin and I were supposed to perform at one of his gigs.

Dez texted me.

**ALLY! I can't believe you would do that!**

I gulped and replied back:

**Do what, Dez?**

He replied:

**Don't act like you don't know! You cheated on Austin!**

I just stared at my screen. I hopelessly tried to comprehend what Dez was saying. Cheated on Austin? How dare her.

**Dez, I think you know as well as I do that I wouldn't dare do that to him. I love Austin. Who told you that?**

It took about five minutes before he replied:

**Oh. Well, yeah I guess I do know that. Nobody really had to tell me because the whole school things you and Elliot did the deed at a party a couple of days ago.**

I nearly dropped my phone on my face. ELLIOT?! Elliot that I had a crush on as a kid? No way. NOOO way. By "the deed" did he mean... Ugh! Ew. No, this was not happening.

I forget to reply to Dez's text as I frantically call Austin. He answers the phone sleepily.

"Austin!" I murmur.

"What is it, Ally?" He whispers, "It's two in the morning."

I can't hold back my sobs as I continue. "Dez texted me. Now I know what she's done. She told everyone I cheated on you with Elliot at a party."

He's silent for a moment. After what seems like forever, he finally replies, "Ally, it's okay. Don't worry. I know you didn't. We'll work things out. Just keep that purity ring on your finger and that chin up. Now's not the time to panic." He's quiet for another moment as a stray tear runs down my cheek. "I'm going to come over to your house. Is your dad home?"

I sniffle and reply, "Yeah. But he's asleep."

"Okay," he sighs, "I'll just be really quiet. I'll have to climb out my window. Be there in ten."

He hangs up.

My eyes are still puffy when he arrives and we silently creep up the stairs and lock my door. We lay in my bed, his arms around me. "It's okay, Ally." He repeats over and over, but I just can't comprehend his words. Finally I'm able to fall asleep.

When I wake up the next morning, he's gone, but he's right back in my driveway to take me to school.

I'm not sure if I'm ready to face the day.

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**A/N** _Hope you all liked it! Sorry it's taken me forever to update. :( Review, favorite, and follow! Thank you all bunches! :) xoxoxoxoxooo_


	37. Rumor Spreading & Realizations

**A/N** _Don't really have much to say haha... I'm going to try to start updating once every day or two again for you guys :) Love you all! Enjoy_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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The day was just as bad as I thought it would be!

The first thing that happened when I walked in was a bunch of dirty looks from girls. As if I weren't good enough for Austin. I'm so glad to have him though, because all he did was tighten his grip on my hand and lead me through the crowd.

I kept my head down when we got to my locker.

"Ally," he whispers, "it's fine."

I shake my head. "It's not. Look at how fast that rumor that she started has spread. She's never given me a chance. She doesn't know me." I gently run my finger over my promise and purity ring. I know it wasn't right to hate people... But I think I may hate Leah.

"Don't worry about it. I'm gonna be right here for you and I'm not going to listen to it. Anyone who asks me about it, I'll make sure they know it's not true."

I grin up at him. "Thanks." I murmur, and I plant a kiss on his cheek before the bell rings. He winks and walks towards his class.

Throughout the day I had at least ten girls ask me if I had cheated on Austin and I had to explain to them all the whole story, but I think less than half of them believed me. Even Elliot was giving me weird looks. So I couldn't take it. I approached him at his locker.

"Elliot," I sighed when I saw him, "hey."

He shut his locker and looked at me questioningly. "Hey, Ally. I think I know what this is about."

I bit my lip. Elliot was an extremely attractive, creative guy. We had an arts and crafts camp together when we were little, at which time I had a crush on him. Now, the feelings were gone, though. He was just too weird, and we had nothing in common.

"Yeah... I think you do know." I mutter. "Listen... About these rumors..."

He holds up his hand. "I know. It's just as weird for me as it is for you. I don't like Leah either."

I sigh a breath of relief. "So you know this has absolutely nothing to do with me?"

He nods. "Of course. I know what a goody-goody you are, Ally." He looks me up and down. "If I thought I could have gotten in your pants, I would have a long time ago." He smirks.

I feel my face getting hot and I cross my legs awkwardly. "Well... I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

He nodded. "I do."

There's an awkward silence before I dismiss myself and begin walking to my next class.

Later, on the ride home, I noticed Austin was quiet.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, point-blank.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I talked to Leah." He admitted.

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nods. "Yeah, and uh... Well, she doesn't like you."

I roll my eyes. "That's obvious."

He bites his lip. "Yeah, but she says she's not going to stop until we break up... You know, with the rumors."

I felt my heart falter. "What do we do?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "I don't know, Ally, I... I really don't know. I don't want to put you through this. But I don't want to leave you. You're my other half."

I nod. "You're mine, too."

He smiles and glances at me. "I love you."

"I love you too, Austin."

I stare at the road ahead. I knew what needed to happen. Austin and I needed each other, that was a given. But did that necessarily mean that we had to be... a _known_ couple? Couldn't we just carry things on but not be in an _official_ relationship?

I told Austin my thoughts, and at first, his eyes were full of disapproval, but I could slowly see him giving in... Unhappily, of course.

I didn't want to either, but it was for the best. And we would still be together, maybe not as boyfriend and girlfriend, but you know...

Austin and I would have to break up.

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**A/N** _So, were any of you expecting that? :D Hahaha. I doubt it. **Review, favorite, and follow!** If any of you are discouraged, don't be! It gets better. :) Just keep reading. Thanks!_


	38. Duets & Darkness

**A/N**_ Is it getting interesting yet?;) hahah. Hope you all are enjoying this. I know I am. :D I'm sorry if the lyrics are off! I wrote them myself without checking them all the way through afterwards, so forgive me!_

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**DISCLAIMER:******_I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran nor am I associated with Ed Sheeran._

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That night, Austin and I performed 'The A Team' at his gig. We decided to still be official until we could get this gig over with and talk it out and make sure it was the only option.

So, here we were, on this stage, as I took in a breath to begin the duet.

_White lips, pale face_

_Breathing in the snow flakes_

_Burnt lungs, sour taste_

_Lights gone, days end_

_Struggling to pay rent_

_Lone nights, strange men_

I looked at Austin and we sang the chorus together.

_And they say, she's in the class_

_A team_

_Stuck in her day dreams_

_Been this way since eighteen_

_But lately_

_Her face seems slowly sinking, wasting_

_Crumbling like pastries_

_And they scream_

_"The worst things in life come free to us_

_'Cause we're just under the upper hand_

_We'll go mad for a couple grams_

_And we don't wanna go outside tonight"_

_And in a pipe she flies to the motherland_

_Or sells love to another man_

_It's too cold outside for angels to fly_

_For angels to fly_

I smile as I watch the crowd begin to tear up at the heartfelt song. It's Austin's turn to sing, now.

_Ripped gloves, raincoat_

_Try to swim to stay afloat_

_Dry house, wet clothes_

_Loose change, bank notes_

_Weary eyes and dry throat_

_Call girl, no phone_

We sing the rest of the song together.

_And they say she's in the class_

_A team_

_Stuck in her daydreams_

_Been this way since eighteen_

_But lately_

_Her face seems slowly sinking, wasting_

_Crumbling like pastries_

_And they scream_

_"The worst things in life come free to us_

_'Cause we're just under the upper hand_

_We'll go mad for a couple grams_

_And we don't wanna go outside tonight"_

_And in a pipe she flies to the motherland_

_Or sells love to another man_

_It's too cold outside for angels to fly_

_An angel will die, covered in white_

_Closed eyes, and hoping for a better life_

_This time, we'll fade out tonight_

_Straight down the line_

_And they say she's in the class_

_A team_

_Stuck in her daydreams_

_Been this way since eighteen_

_But lately_

_Her face seems slowly sinking, wasting_

_Crumbling like pastries_

_And they scream_

_"The worst things in life come free to us_

_And we're all under the upper hand_

_We'll go mad for a couple grams_

_And we don't wanna go outside tonight"_

_And in the pipe they fly to the motherland_

_Or sell love to another man_

_It's too cold outside for angels to fly_

_Angels to fly_

_To fly, fly_

_To fly, to fly, to fly,_

_Or angels to die_

We finished and everyone stood up and clapped. I smiled at Austin, and he smiled at me. I was so glad he had got me to perform that first night on The Pier.

We bow and get off the stage. We're dreading the conversation we now have to have. It's a Friday night, so it doesn't matter how late it is.

We get in his Mustang and drive. We drive all the way to the beach where I attended that first party, where we had had the previous beach day. It's dark, so he grabs a flashlight out of his glovebox, and we walk down the steep embankment.

We sit in the soft sand, and he speaks first.

"I love you, Ally. We don't have to do this."

I smile, the breeze blowing through my curls.

"Austin. We need to break up to get her off our back. But we don't have to stop seeing each other. I already explained this to you."

He squeezes my hand. "It won't be the same, though. You're my girl, Ally."

I looked at him through the darkness, the Miami lights shining in the distance. "I'll always be your girl, Austin."

I saw a grin cross his face before he leaned in and passionately kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and I couldn't get enough.

By Monday, we would no longer be the couple everyone knew about. But we would still be partners, lovers, and bestfriends. I would still wear his promise on my finger and I would still live for moments like these. It would be the hardest thing I've ever done to not hold his hand in public, or to not tell people he was my boyfriend anymore. I didn't know how we would do this, but we would make it through together.

All we needed was each other, Trish, Dez, our music. We would always be together.

Well, I thought so, until he pulled away from the kiss and looked me in the eyes and said, "Ally, I have to go to college at the end of the summer."

I just looked at him. Even though I was expecting this moment, I was hoping it would never come.

He cupped my face gently in his hands. "We still have the rest of school, and until the end of the summer."

I smile at him and will the tears not to fall. That wasn't long enough.

Forever wasn't long enough.

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**A/N **_Okay, so this is one of my favorite chapters I've written. Actually, it is my favorite. :) Sad to write, but I still enjoyed it. Don't hate me too much, readers! They still have plenty more time together. Plus, I do believe we will have a sequel. ;) __**Review, favorite, and follow! **__Keep reading, it gets better, promise. :) thanks for all the support. 3_


	39. Sadness & Still Can't Believe It

**A/N** _Okay so I'm in the car for a long car trip so I'll be able to write like at least one long chapter. :P Maybe more than one, dunno yet. c: Dude I'm like obsessed with "The Way" by Ariana Grande, soo good. love that chick. I got a ton of reviews on the past chapter! Thanks so much! Enjoy this chapter. :D_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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Throughout the next week I forced myself to stop thinking about Austin going to college in a few months. Hopefully he wouldn't go too far away.

We had broken up and now acted pretty normal at school. It made me a little sad, but we spent nearly every living minute with each other out of school. He was still performing at his gig twice a week, but he informed me that he was planning on quitting before summer started so that we could spend more time with each other and with Dez and Trish.

Leah still gave me dirty looks at school, but when Austin had told her about the break up, she actually stopped telling people that Elliot and I had done things. Most people knew the truth by now, anyways.

Leah thought she would have a chance with Austin since we were no longer official, but she was wrong. Austin imminently brushed her off and refused to speak with her. I had no problem with that, and I just laughed every time that she would look at Austin with those puppy dog eyes.

It was exactly a week after that Friday when Austin and I had broken up and he announced that he would be working towards going to college. He was in my room, along with Trish and Dez.

"I can't believe you guys broke up." Dez pouts, and I roll my eyes at him.

"We're still together though, Dez. Just privately."

Dez nods, obviously not impressed.

Austin also nods, from where he's scrolling through something on his phone, leaning again the wall on my floor. Trish and I are on my bed.

"I can't wait 'til summer, guys!" Trish groans. I just ignore her, because I simply can't share her excitement.

I give Austin a weak smile, and he frowns as if saying 'I'm sorry'. He was now aware that I was extremely upset about him leaving.

I look at the clock. It's about 8 pm.

"So, guys," I sigh, "what is there for a group of teenagers to do at 8 on a Friday night?" The bar was closed tonight because the manager was sick, therefore Austin's gig for tonight had been cancelled, and we didn't really know what to do with ourselves. My dad was home, and instructed us to be quiet because he had a headache, so there was nothing entertaining for us to do here.

Austin looks thoughtful. "Let's go streaking." He says jokingly. And we all grin at him stupidly. "You're an idiot." Trish commented, and Austin shrugs. "I was just kidding."

"Wanna go down to the beach?" I ask, and they look thoughtful. "Like, to our private spot, or the public beach?" Trish asks.

I shrug, indicating it doesn't matter to me.

"How about we get some beer and go to the private beach?" Dez suggests.

Trish raises her eyebrow at him. "Who's going to get the beer for us, doof? Ian doesn't live here anymore."

Dez's face falls. "Oh, yeah."

"The public beach it is!" Austin declares, standing up and putting his phone in his pocket.

We all pile in to Dez's truck, because it's biggest. We leave Austin's Mustang and Trish's convertible in my driveway as we speed off, laughing. We lived for the weekends.

Once there, we hopped out and raced towards the sand. There weren't many people on the beach tonight, but there were a few up on The Pier where Austin used to do his monthly gig.

We plop down on the sand, discarding our shoes.

"We should have brought a blanket." Trish huffs as she wipes sand off her legs.

We have some irrelevant conversations here and there. Then, out of nowhere, Austin says, "Ally, it's been forever since we've written a new song."

I nod slowly. "Yeah, but we finished our album."

He stares off at the waves lapping the shore. "Yeah, I know."

We leave it at that. Austin and I had written twelve great songs together, and I really just didn't have it in me to write any more with him since he would be leaving. Don't get me wrong, I love Austin, and our music, but it just wouldn't be the same anymore...

Austin wraps his arm around me and I lean my head on his shoulder. Trish and Dez are patting together a mound of sand in the darkness a few feet away.

"What am I supposed to do when you're gone?" I murmur solemnly, and he sighs.

"Ally, I don't want you to think about it. We still have a lot of time together. It's only nearly February."

I nod, and he kisses my forehead. I smile and snuggle up to him.

Okay, so I would just stop worrying about him leaving until the time came. I could cross that bridge when I got there. Right now, I just needed to enjoy the time I was sharing with my bestfriends.

It was getting late, so we headed back to my house. Dez decided to leave right away, because he was tired, so we waved him bye as he backed out of my driveway.

"Well," Trish sighs, "you know I don't like being the third wheel, so I'm gonna go, too." She smiles and waves as she digs her keys out of her purse and also pulls away.

"Do you need to get home, too?" I ask Austin once Trish is gone. He looks thoughtful, then he slumps his shoulders. "I suppose. I promised mom I would clean my room tonight and I haven't even started."

I just smile up at him, then get on my tippy toes and peck him on the lips. "We'll hang out tomorrow."

He smiles and squeezes my hand, walking towards his own car, and I walk to my porch. I hear him whistle at me as I walk, and I just turn my head and blow him a kiss. He winks at me before ducking his head in to his car and shutting the door.

Once in my own room, in my pajamas, it was about 10 and I crawled under the covers. I pull the comforter up to my chin and sigh with happiness, still unable to believe that Austin Moon was mine all mine.

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**A/N **_Well, at least she's not still depressed, right? Thanks for reading. :) __**Review,**__**favorite, and follow! **__Thanks so much!_


	40. Coming Back & Confessions

**A/N** _So, guys, I'm going to skip a couple of months in the story. Only because I have 12 chapters left in this story. I have to finish the school year AND sum up their summer in just 12 CHAPTERS. :O cray cray. You know what that means? Longer chapters. Mhm. Sorry if you're upset with me for skipping some time but I kinda had to. :C Hopefully we'll have a sequel. :) Or maybe I could make the story a trilogy? Well I don't know about that because I really only have a story line for a sequel. :P Don't count on a trilogy, it probably won't happen hahh. Anyways, I digress. enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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**_May..._**

"Wow!" Trish murmurs as we get in to her car after school. "The first day of May! Can't believe this is the last month of school!" She grins and rubs her hands together. "Maybe we can convince Austin to have some more parties this summer."

I smile at her as she starts her engine. Austin had skipped school today, so I was riding to his house with Trish, where she would drop me off. I could have driven myself, but I didn't feel like it. Austin had spoiled me by driving me everywhere.

The past three months had been great. Austin and I were still unofficial or whatever, but I think everyone had gotten the memo by now that we were still together. And all Leah could do was watch from a distance.

Austin had gotten me to do some crazy things these past few months. We'd gone bungee jumping off the highest bridge in Miami, which was probably the craziest on my list. It was actually pretty fun.

"Thanks, Trish." I tell her with a smile before I shut the door. She grins at me through the car window before driving off again.

I ring the door bell and wait. When the door is opened, I am completely and utterly shocked.

Ian is standing before me.

"Ian!" I screech, wrapping him in a hug. He laughs. "Hey, Ally!" He says excitedly.

I was so happy to see him. He was like my brother, I must admit.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with a huge smile as we release from the hug. He shrugs. "I'm on summer break. The colleges let out earlier than high schools."

Austin appears behind Ian, and he shares me smile. "He surprised us." He admits, and Ian blushes. "I thought it would be a good idea." He says with a shrug.

I'm pretty much giddy by this point.

"Trish and Dez should come over!" I gasp, reaching for my phone, but Austin holds up a hand to stop me. "Just called them. Trish made a U-turn just up the road so she should be here..."

Trish ran through Austin's front door screaming.

"Now!" Austin finishes with a laugh. "Dez is coming too. He'll be here in like ten minutes."

We went down to the basement and piled up on the couch, waiting on Dez.

"We need to catch up!" I announce once we're all comfortable. "What's college like?"

Ian grins. "It's great, guys. It's just what I needed. And... There's a girl."

We all gasp. Ian had found a lady friend? After all that he had been through? I was amazed.

"What's her name?" Trish asked excitedly.

"Tenley." Ian tells us, and we all just kind of look at him. Tenley? It's a pretty name, but an odd one.

Ian reaches in his pocket and pulls out his wallet. He flips it open and shows us a picture of him kissing a beautiful, tan, brunette girl on the cheek.

Austin smiles at him. "Way to go, bro." He stands up then, shifting all of us on the couch, and we whine in protest. He ignores us as he says, "While we're admitting things, I want to show you guys something."

Without explaining anything else, he takes off his shirt, and we all just stare... Stare at the tattoo that was now marked on the left side of his front, showing just above his pants.

It reads "Ally", surrounded by a heart.

I put a hand over my mouth a blush. "Austin..." I whisper, "When did you get that?"

He shrugs with a smile. "A month or so ago. First tattoo." He's awful proud of it.

I'm totally flattered. It may come back to bite him many years ahead, but for right now, it was just fine.

I stand up, shifting everyone once again, and hug him, enjoying his warmth. Dez comes down the basement stairs right about then, and is just as shocked as everyone. Ian is just smiling, though.

This was going to be one heck of a great summer, now that we were reunited for three whole months. I couldn't wait to get away from that high school, go on a road trip or two with this group of amazing people, and just have fun in general.

Austin and I will be together 8 months in a few days. I still couldn't believe we had made it this far.

"This is awesome." Austin sighs, putting his shirt back on. "You guys are the greatest."

"Yeah," Ian sighs in agreement, "I missed you all a ton. I've made a few friends over there, but they're not the same."

"What about Tenley?" Austin asks, and Ian smiles. "She's an exception. Oh, and, in month or so, you guys will get to meet her. She's going to fly out here to meet everyone."

All I hoped was that she wasn't a total bitch like Leah.

Dez then raises his hand to speak. We all just stare at him, and he puts his hand back down, embarrassed. "Since we're all doing confessions... I've decided where I'm going to college."

We all stare at him eagerly, waiting for him to go on.

"I got a full ride to Florida State!" He gives an excited jump like a little kid, and we all clap. I was happy for him, but I would certainly be sad to see the ginger guy go. He could lighten up an atmosphere just by approaching someone. Now he would be nearly eight hours away from us, all the way up in Tallahassee, attending college as a Seminole. I really couldn't believe it.

"Where are you going, Austin?" Ian asks, and Austin shrugs. "Haven't decided yet."

I see something flash in Ian's eyes, but I don't know what. I dismiss the thought and focus on having us all back together again. I was so excited.

"Well, guys. Let's get back to old times."

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**A/N **_I KNOW none of you were expecting that. :D hahaha! I bet you all are happy, hmm? I sure missed writing about Ian. He's just so chill like... Yeah hahha. __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	41. Intoxication & In Panic

**A/N** _I'm so glad to see how happy everyone is that Ian is back. :) I gave you all some hints that he would return when he left, saying he would come home every time possible. Well, he's back, but I'm not sure how long he will be staying. Colleges do often let out for summer earlier than high schools, but they also often go back to school earlier than high schools, too. So, yeah. :) If he does leave once more within the course of the story, it will be near the end. I also think you guys are really going to like Tenley! :D I love introducing new characters, hehe. I also said last chapter that my chapters would need to be longer from here on out, and that's starting today. Longer chapters mean a longer updating time. :( Sorry, but it won't be much longer than it has been. Just go easy on me. :) Thanks, and enjoy. xoxo_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah, and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own "The Way" by Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller, nor am I associated with Ariana Grande or Mac Miller. I also do not own "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction_

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_So don't you worry, baby you got me_

_I got a bad boy, I must admit it_

_You got my heart, don't know how you did it_

_And I don't care who sees it babe_

_I don't wanna hide the way I feel when you're next to me_

_I love the way you make me feel_

_I love the way_

_Baby I love the way you make me feel_

_Oh, I love the way, the way I love you_

I laugh as I crank up the volume on that radio and continue singing loudly. The five of us are on our private beach, slightly intoxicated. Trish and I were dancing around to the song on the radio as the guys sat back and laughed. Ian was the only one who hadn't had a single thing to drink. We were able to get alcohol this time, since Ian was back once more, and had been for about a week. It was a saturday, and it was just the right temperature for a bestfriend day.

_Austin stood up now as a male part aproached in the song and he joined hands with me as we danced._

_Uh, I make you feel so fine, make you feel so fine_

_I hope you hit me on my celly when I sneak in your mind_

_You a princess to the public, but a freak when it's time_

I just laugh harder and end up stumbling to the ground. Then I laugh even more. Yeah, okay, so I had a buzz. It was the first one I'd had in a while, definitely. Ian was just watching us and shaking his head with a smile. "Crazy kids." He snorted, and turned the volume back down a little.

I roll my eyes and stand up, dizzy. Austin steadies me with his arms.

_Suddenly, we all get quiet as a familiar tune escapes the speakers on the radio. Ian turns it up a bit, also recognizing the tune._

_Your hand fits in mine, like it's made just for me_

_For bear this in mine, it was meant to be_

_And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks_

_And it all makes sense to me_

Austin's mouth falls open. "That's my song!" He shouts, then a smile crosses his face, then a confused look. "It's on the radio!... But... How?"

A smirk crosses Dez's face, and he shrugs. "I may or may not have turned in copy of 'Little Things' to the radio station when it reached three million views on the Internet."

Austin suddenly tackles Dez in a hug. "DEZ! Thank you thank you thank you!"

We're all laughing and high fiving as we sing along to Austin's first song on the radio. I couldn't believe it. Austin was really beginning to gain some attention. Three million views was a whole lot.

When the song ends, Austin sighs with happiness. "I couldn't have done it without you guys. Thank you so much for all that you've done for me." He turns and looks at me. "Especially you, Ally." He scoots closer. "My songwriter, my bestfriend, the girl I love."

I blush as everyone goes "Aww!". Austin wraps his arms around me and I melt in to his hug. He may of just been talking out of his head in his excitement and intoxication, but I doubted it.

We all settle down and lay out in the sun. I can't help but to look at Austin's tattoo every now and then and just smile.

"Did you guys ever finish your album?" Ian asks in the silence, and I perk up. "Yeah! We need to let you hear it." He nods. "Are you all about ready to leave, anyway? It's getting pretty late." I check the clock on my phone to see that it's only 4 pm. "Late?" I ask, and he shrugs. "Well we've been out here like five hours. I don't know, I needed an excuse."

Trish scoffs and sits up. "I guess he's right. Who here is the least drunk, besides Ian?"

No one raises a hand or speaks up.

Ian puts his palm to his forehead. "You all are crazy for coming out here and getting drunk when we brought two vehicles." Then he looks thoughtful. "Actually, we were just stupid for bringing two vehicles when you all could have piled up on the back of Dez's truck!"

We all kind of giggle, even though we're all aware that one of us will have to drive the other car. The truth it, we're all afraid to take a chance after what happened with Ian. Ian had only recently gotten his license back after it had been suspended over the incident.

I sigh, realizing that, by the look of the others, I'm probably the least intoicated out of all of us."I'll drive." I say, and I motion for Austin to hand me his car keys. We had come in Dez's truck and Austin's Mustang. He reluctantly hands me the keys and we begin to pack up the stuff. I begin saying silent prayers that we won't wreck or anything. "Ian," I sigh, "drive behind me." He nods in understanding.

We walk as straight as we can to the cars and pile in. "Guys, all of you ride in Dez's truck so I don't put you in danger." I say, and Trish and Dez hop in without complaint, but Austin says "No, I'm riding with you." I know I can't make him change his mind.

I feel my hands shaking as I start driving, and I wish I hadn't volunteered for this. I think this is the slowest I've driven in my entire life. There are people honking at me and passing me, and I bet it's a weird sight to see a bright yellow Mustang going 20 mph down the roads of Miami. I know I'm not even drunk, I just have a giggly kind of buzz, and I'm definitely not even over the legal limit, but I'm still afraid. This was no giggly matter.

My hands are still shaking like crazy when we finally, finally pull in to Austin's driveway.

I breathe relief and shut off the engine, and Austin smiles. "Nice job."

I get out of the car and, to Ian and Austin's relief, their parents aren't home. "You guys can come in and shower and stuff and we can go do something later. Luckily my parents won't have to see you like this." Ian sighs. Dez is probably the worst off, as usual. Trish is kinda like me, just worse. Austin is just... drunk. Not bad, but you can smell it. I just giggle.

We are able to get showered pretty quick since there's two bathrooms. For whatever reason, I ask Austin to come sit in the bathroom and talk to me while I shower. I make him close his eyes until I can undress and get in. I swear if I hadn't had a little to drink, I never would have asked him to, and if he hadn't been drunk he probably wouldn't have agreed to because of my morals. But at least he still has the decency to cover his eyes.

"Hopefully I'll be okay if we go out later," Austin sighs as I lather myself with his body wash as I had the first time I had showered at his house, "I'm feeling pretty rough."

"Dez isn't going to try to go out, is he?" I ask him, and he replies, "I'm sure he'll try, but we'll probably just try to get him to go back to his house. Maybe we can sneak in to his room again."

I giggle really hard at that, and I hear him chuckle.

I turn the water off in the shower. "Can you hand me a towel?" I ask, and I hear him get up, stumbling a little, then walking towards the shower. I poke my head out of the curtain and reach for it. I smile as I see that he's covering his eyes agin. "Thanks," I tell him, "you can leave now."

He nods, and walks out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I step out and towel off, then dry my hair out with the towel. I'll just let it dry natural, since there's not a hairdryer in here, as usual. I couldn't walk out in my underwear now, with all of my friends around. Yeah, Trish and Austin had seen me in my panties, but Ian and Dez hadn't, and I wasn't going there.

I slip back on the clothes I had before and walk out of the bathroom. Austin is the last one in the shower, so I join the others in Austin's room, and sit on his bed. Dez is still totally intoxicated, and I know that we'll have to find a way to trick him in to going back home. I exchange a glance with Trish as Dez hiccups, and she nods at me in understanding.

"Hey, Dez, did you remember to feed your fish?" I ask him. He looks up at me, startled. "NO. Oh my gosh, no. CRAP. Yeah, guys, I'm going to have to take a rain check." He hiccups again, and Trish and I hold back a laugh. Dez doesn't even own a fish.

Austin walks out of his bathroom just moments later, and I motion him over so that I can tell him that we'll have to take Dez by his house because he forgot to feed his fish. He winks at me in understanding. "Well, you can drive him there in his truck, because he's in no state to drive. We can follow behind you and get you from there." I shrug, not really minding. As long as Dez didn't get hurt, I didn't care.

My buzz was beginning to wear off, and Trish was getting better too by the time we dropped off Dez and he stumbled to the back of his house to crawl in his window. Austin was pretty good at hiding his own intoxication, so we would be okay.

"Where are we going?" I ask Ian, who is in the driver's seat of Austin's Mustang. Austin was in the passenger, and I was in the back. Trish is following behind us in her own vehicle. Ian shrugs. "I guess we can go to the mall, or The Pier. Whatver works for you guys."

I lean back in my seat. "I think I would rather go to The Pier, since it's warm out."

Austin nods. "Me too."

We arrive at around 6 pm, and pile out of the cars. We walk up the steps to the top, and walk down the long stretch of wooden boardwalk. Once to the very end, where Austin used to perform his gigs, we leaned against the rails and looked in to the clear Florida water below. The salty wind blew against my face, and I constantly had to readjust my hair.

"So, Austin..." I hear Ian say, "You said you hadn't found a college yet? School is almost over, bro."

Austin shrugs. "Nothing has really caught my eye."

"Were you wanting to stay close to home?" Ian asks, and I see that same sparkle in his eye that I saw yesterday when he ha asked Austin about college. What was he up to?

Austin raises an eyebrow at him. "I haven't really even thought about the colleges that much, so I don't know. I've applied for scholarships, but they've all turned me down. Unless dad helps me out, I don't know what to do."

Everyone knew that the Moon family was rather wealthy, since they owned their own mattress buisness. The boys had always worn nice brands of clothes and lived in a nice home. Money shouldn't be an issue for Austin, if he did indeed need it.

"Well," Ian sighs, "have you considered UCLA?"

We all stop looking out over the edge and turn to look at Ian, even Trish. I'm silent, waiting for Austin's answer, but I think Austin is so shocked himself that he doesn't know what to say.

Finally, Ian offers more explanation. "It gets lonely over there sometimes, not having any family. And L.A. would be good for you, Austin. You could get a record deal or something."

I swallow, knowing that Ian is right.

"I know, but... That's a long way, Ian." Austin murmurs, then he glances at me with panic in his eyes. I honestly don't know what I'm feeling right now.

Ian shrugs. "Just think about it."

And then the conversation is over.

If Austin ended up going all the way to California for college, I don't know what I would do with myself. I just hoped and prayed that he would decide against Ian's offer.

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**A/N** _Don't hate me too much! D: This chapter isn't as long as I wished it to be, but it's okay, I suppose. Thanks for reading! Means a lot. :) **Review, favorite, and follow!**_

_****EDIT:****_

_I got a review about how I had drinking and driving in the chapter, and there weren't any consequences, and I want to apologize. But, I DID state that she was not over the legal limit, and she was very, very careful. Also, teenagers will be teenagers. Please understand where I was coming from. To the guest who reviewed, I am also very sorry that you were disappointed. I hate disappointing my viewers, but, as long as she is not over the legal limit, she couldn't have been arrested anyway. I personally have actually never been drunk, much less been drunk while driving. I don't even have my licence yet. _

_Once again, my apologies._


	42. Graduating & Going To Go

**A/N** _I am SO happy to say that we have come so close to meeting our goal, guys. The only thing we have left is 16 more follows. I am confident we can do it. :) I have the best viewers in the world, and I can not wait to write the sequel for you. And I think a sequel is exactly what you guys need, because from the looks of what you hope to happen in the end, none of you have gotten it right yet, sadly. But I want you guys to be surprised, that's for sure. :) So keep reading! We have ten chapters left. From what I'm wanting to do with the sequel, I think you will enjoy it very much. xoxo, enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah, and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own "You and Me" by Lifehouse nor am I associated with Lifehouse._

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Before I knew it, my junior year was over. I was there when Dez and Austin crossed that stage. I sat with Trish, my dad, Ian, and his parents. I tried not to cry as I realized that those high school days were over. I would never relieve those moments again, where Austin would kiss my forehead at my locker or hold my hand as we walked to his car after class. I knew summer was just beginning, but I couldn't help but feel like the end of all this greatness was nearing.

We took lots of pictures after the graduation with Dez and Austin in their cap and gowns. Eventually we were walking back to the cars.

"Mom, dad," Austin said, "all of us are gonna go out for a little while."

The Moons exchanged glances, then nodded. "Okay. Starting the summer nights?" Austin's dad asked, and Austin smiled and nodded. I tell my own dad my plans, and he also agrees.

We were sure to only take Dez's truck this time, and just leave the other cars in the parking lot to pick up later. Dez had been completely distraught when he found out we had tricked him, and even vowed to buy a fish when he moved in to his dorm room at college.

"Where we going?" I ask as I climb on to the back of Dez's truck. All of us are getting back there except Ian, who is driving. Austin raises an eyebrow at me. "Where do you think?"

Trish rolls her eyes. "Bonfire time."

It takes the usual thirty minutes or so to arrive, and we climb down the bank in the total darkness, and we laugh hysterically when Ian falls face first. He gets up quickly and just shakes it off as if nothing even happened, but he can't wipe he grin off his face.

We gather some wood from varies areas off the bank and pile them in to the fire pit. We pour some fire starter on to the pile, and Ian pulls out a lighter out and lights up the wood. It bursts in to flame.

We all settle down around the warmth, and I lean against Austin's shoulder. He puts his arm around me.

"What am I supposed to do next year without you around?" I ask him, and he sighs. "You'll survive, Ally."

I sure hoped so.

"Ever decide where you're going to college?" Dez asks as he walks towards us. We had sent him up the bank to gather the single six-pack of beer we had brought and Austin's guitar. Austin wiggles beside me, and he clears his throat. "Actually, yeah." Dez sets down his load, then sits down. "Really? Where?"

Austin sighs, and eyes Ian before speaking.

"I guess that now is as good of a time as any that I'm going to get to tell you that I applied to UCLA a while back... And I got accepted."

My breath catches in my throat and I put a hand over my mouth, and lean away from Austin. Trish's mouth hangs open. Dez raises his eyebrows. Ian is expressionless, and I know that he already knew what Austin is telling us now.

"What?" Trish finally speaks. Austin looks at me as I just wrap my arms around my knees.

"Ian needs me, guys. He's all by himself over there, besides Tenley. And I'm going to try my best to get a record deal. If I get a record deal, I will take you all with me on my first tour. Just like Ian, I'll be back in Miami every living moment that I possibly can." He glances at me, hoping for a reaction, but I offer him none. Those six beers were looking awfully good right now.

Ian clears his throat. "Speaking of Tenley, she'll be here tomorrow." None of us feel like responding.

Ian going to L.A. was a lot more acceptable because of the way he was acting. L.A. was an escape for him. Austin going to L.A. for four years... Well, technically, UCLA was in Beverly Hills, but still... I don't know how I was going to handle this.

Austin scooted over close to me and took my hands in his. "Look at me," he commanded, and it was all I could do to tear my eyes away from the fire and look him in the eyes. "What?" I whispered, and he gripped my hands tighter. The fire sparkled off his brown orbs. "Don't hate me, Ally. We're going to make this work."

I swallowed hard. "Are we?" I question him, "Do you even realize how far away that is? Three thousand miles, Austin. And while you're over there having fun and getting record deals, I'm going to be stuck here in Miami, constantly wishing you were here." I look away again, aware of our friends staring at us.

"Ally, think about it. Even if I did stay, we would only have one more year together, and I wouldn't be at the high school anymore, anyway. And don't try to tell me you're not going to college, because I know you are."

I'm just silent, because I know he's right. In fact, I had had my eye on the music school up in New York, MUNY, until Austin had come along. Recently I had told myself I could just stay close to home, or maybe we could even attend the same college, but there was no way that I was following him to California. And suddenly I realized that I couldn't be selfish about this, because I couldn't hold Austin back from his dreams. I just couldn't.

I nod slowly, and Austin leans to me and kisses my forehead. "We can make it work." He repeats, then he circles my promise ring with his thumb.

I look over and see Dez is tearing up. Oh, Dez.

"Let's put all of this in the back of our minds until we have to cross that bridge." Ian announces through the crackling fire. "The summer is just beginning, and it's looking mighty fine."

Though we are able to have fun and focus on other things, the past conversation was still lingering in the back of my mind. I have to force myself to only drink one beer. Austin plays some songs on his guitar and we all tell stories from the past year, laughing.

By one in the morning, the beer is gone and the fire is dying down. None of us are drunk, obviously, because all we had was a six-pack.

"I better get home, guys." Ian sighs, "Tenley is flying in tomorrow, and I wanna be ready when she gets here."

We gather our things and head back up the bank. Ian drives, and the rest of us pile up on the back, as we had on the way over here. The Miami wind feels good on my hot face after we've been sitting by that fire for the past few hours.

We make it back to the school parking lot, and Ian gets out and walks towards Austin's car. I, surprisingly, drove myself. I'm walking towards my own car which my dad had surprised me with a few months back when Austin grabs my arm. "Come with us." He says to me, and I hesitate before shaking my head. "I need to get home." I whisper. He searches my eyes for a moment before saying, "Then let me come with you."

I sigh, and glance at Ian who is waiting impatiently beside the Mustang. "How are you going to get home?" I ask him, and he frowns. "I'll stay the night." He insists, and I know my dad wouldn't like that, no matter how much he likes Austin. But, dad would probably already be asleep, and we could just tell him that Austin had arrived early in the morning tomorrow. "Fine," I sigh, and he smiles as I begin walking back to my car again. I hear the Mustang pull out a few seconds later, and Austin following fast behind me. I wave to Dez and Trish as they too leave the school.

When we arrive to my house, all the lights are off, just as I suspected. We sneak in the front door and up the stairs quietly. I hear my dad's snores coming from the master bedroom.

When we get in my room I lock the door so that dad wouldn't open it and find Austin and I before he left for work in the morning. I myself would have to work for a little while tomorrow, too. Dad usually gave me a lot of time off in the summer, though.

"Isn't your last gig tomorrow?" I ask Austin as I deposit my keys on the top of my night stand. He nods solemnly. "Will you sing with me?" He asks, and I raise my eyebrows. "Really?" I ask, and he nods. "I would rather you be up there with me for my last gig." I think about it, then nod, and he smiles.

I go and join him on my bed, taking off my black Converse first. I lay back against my headboard and sigh. "It's been quite a day." I murmur, and he nods. "I really am sorry, Ally. Don't think that I didn't think about you when I was trying to make a decision, though, because I really did."

I shrug. "All I want for you is your happiness, Austin." I sigh. He looks guilty then, as if I was making it sound like he didn't care about my happiness. That wasn't what I had been trying to say, of course, but I didn't offer him any more words. I just couldn't find any more.

"Want me to sleep on the floor?" He asks quietly, and I can't help but giggle a little. "No, Austin, you can sleep on the bed with me. I won't make you sleep on the floor."

He smiles and gets under the covers. I go to gather some pajamas, them go in to the bathroom to change.

When I emerge, Austin is already asleep. I can't help but smile as I get under the covers with him and turn out my lamp. The moon is full tonight, and it illuminates my room from my open window. Austin instinctively puts his arms around me in his sleep, and I snuggle closer to him.

Within minutes, I'm asleep.

When I wake up to birds chirping the next morning, Austin is still sound asleep. I wriggle away from his grip and silently get out of the bed and stretch. It's about 9 a.m. and dad should already be at work. Just to make sure, I silently unlock my door and poke my head out to listen for any movement. Thankfully, I hear nothing.

My stomach growls and I decide to walk down the stairs and find something to eat. Literally the only thing I can find is some pancake mix. I know that Austin loves pancakes, but I don't like them very much. I make them anyways, deciding I can pick something up on my way to work.

While I'm fixing Austin's breakfast, I'm startled when I feel arms slip around my waist, and a chin lay against my shoulder.

"Pancakes?" Austin asked, and I shrugged. "I know you like them." I point out, and he chuckles and kisses my cheek, then sits on the counter. "What time do you have to go in to work?" He asks. "Noon." I answer, flipping over a pancake.

He looks thoughtful for a moment. "I was thinking we could sing a new song tonight." He tells me, and I just look at him. "Like, one that we haven't recorded?" I ask, and he nods.

"Like what?" I ask him, an he points to my Book, which is placed on the kitchen table. "Hand it here." He demands, and I reach for it. I give it to him and begins flipping. I wasn't embarrassed for Austin to see the songs I wrote, just because he knew me so well and had been through my Book a thousand times.

I realize he's stopped looking and is running his fingers over some lyrics. "This one. I want to sing this one." He announces, and hands me the book.

I smile as I see which song he's picked, titled "You and Me". I wrote it a few months ago, and had honestly forgotten about it. "Okay." I tell him. "Should we practice?" I ask. He nods and says, "Let's eat, then we can go to Sonic Boom before you have to start working."

"Actually, I made them just for you. I don't eat pancakes." I admit, and he shrugs. "Suit yourself." He says as he grabs a fork out of the silverware drawer.

So much for getting breakfast before work. As soon as I had showered and gotten back down the stairs, he was ready to go straight there. I didn't mind, though, because I wanted to practice on this song just as much as he wanted to.

When we arrive and walk through the door, dad looks at me questioningly. "You're here early." He states, and I reply, "Austin and I are going to practice on a song before my shift starts." He nods in understanding as Austin and I head up the stairs to the practice room.

"Okay," I sigh as we get seated on the bench, "let's get started. How do you want to do it?"

He looks at the lyrics once more.

"Let's sing the choruses together. I can sing the first and third verses."

I nod. "Okay, then I'll sing the second verse and the last three lines. How do you know the song so well?" I ask, and he shrugs. "I've been through your Book before and this song caught my eye a while back. It's really good." I blush. "Thanks, Austin. So, you already know the lyrics?" He shrugs. "Pretty much."

I put my fingers on the keys. "We should practice it, just to be sure."

We practice for the next two hours before my dad calls up the stairs. "Ally! Time for your shift!"

"Okay!" I call back, and I stand up from the piano and stretch. "I have to work until 3. Then we can hang out before the gig. When is Tenley supposed to be here?"

Austin shrugs. "She's probably already here. We'll get to see her when we hang out later. All of us are going to the gig."

I nod and grab my Book before we start heading down the stairs. He gives me a quick kiss before departing. Ian was going to pick him up.

The next three hours are pretty boring, so I just jot down stray lyrics in my Book and listen to music on my iPod while I text. When my dad finally, finally, walked back through the doors of Sonic Boom, I gathered my things imminently and began heading towards my car.

I made the quick drive to Austin's house. I parked beside Trish's car, figuring that Dez must have caught a ride with Trish.

I knock on the door, and Austin opens it for me, stepping aside to let me in.

"Tenley's here," he murmurs, "she's really nice." I grin. I was happy for Ian.

I see her a few seconds later. She was skinny and short, with brunette hair that fell in perfect spirals down her back. She was tan, and her eyes were green. She gave me a smile, and her dimples fell in to her cheeks. She was gorgeous. "Hi!" She greeted me, "Ally, right?"

I smile back. "Yeah! It's so nice to meet you."

Ian appears behind her and puts his arm around her shoulder. He's at least two or three feet taller than her. It was cute.

We all sit in the living room, our crew now had six people. We took a little while to get to know Tenley. She was Ian's age, and was born in raised in California, and she was a very good artist. She could draw a perfect image of anything. She was an only child, and hoped to travel the world some day. Her full name was Tenley Lauretta Slate. I had always imagined Ian dating some blonde headed rich girl... Just like Stacy. Tenley was perfect for him, though.

"So, Austin," Tenley spoke, "you have a gig tonight?" Austin nods. "Yeah, Ally and I are going to perform." Tenley smiles. "Awesome. I can't wait to hear it."

After about two hours of conversation, we decide to start heading towards the sports bar. I'm surprised at how carefully Ian drives with Tenley in the car. I can't say I blame him.

When we arrive, we do soundcheck for about an hour or so, socialize with people, and laugh around. When it's finally time for the performance, Austin and I take the stage.

Austin begins the song on guitar, while I follow up on piano.

_What day is it?_

_And in what month?_

_This clock never seemed so alive_

_I can't keep up, and I can't back down_

_I've been losing so much time_

Our voices come together for the first chorus.

_And it's you and me_

_And all of the people with nothing to do_

_Nothing to lose_

_And it's you and me_

_And all the other people _

_And I don't know why_

_I can't keep my eyes off of you_

I smile at Austin before beginning my solo, realizing how nice this all sounded.

_Why are the things that I want to say_

_Just not coming out right?_

_I'm tripping on words_

_You got my head spinning_

_I just don't know where to go from here_

We begin together once more.

_And it's you and me_

_And all of the people with nothing to lose_

_Nothing to prove_

_And it's you and me_

_And all the other people_

_And I don't know why_

_I can't keep my eyes off of you_

Austin takes off for another solo.

_Something about you now_

_That I can't quite figure out_

_Everything she does is beautiful_

_Everything she does is right_

I see Ian put his arm around Tenley's waist in the crowd, and she smiles up at him. It makes my heart flutter, the happiness in his eyes. Austin and I join together once again.

'_Cause it's you and me_

_And all of the people with nothing to do_

_Nothing to lose_

_And it's you and me_

_And all the other people_

_And I don't know why_

_I can't keep my eyes off of you and me_

_And all of the people with nothing to do_

_Nothing to prove_

_And it's you and me_

_And all the other people_

_And I don't know why_

_I can't keep my eyes off of you_

I turn to Austin and Austin turns to me as I sing the last lines.

_What day is it?_

_And in what month?_

_This clock never seemed so alive_

The music fades out, and the crowd stands up. They begin clapping and cheering just as loudly as they had the first time I performed with Austin. We bow before walking off of the stage. I feel as if I'm leaving something behind, realizing that could be the last time I ever performed with Austin.

"That was so good!" Tenley gasps when we approach our friends. I smile and Austin and I end up saying "Thanks!" at the same time.

We all laugh and walk out of the bar. We head towards the cars, and Austin pulls me in to a hug. "Great start of a summer, guys." Everyone nods in agreement. "Now, let's go watch a movie or something."

We head to Austin's house and go to the basement.

I snuggle up as close to Austin as I can. I figure that, after the summer, I won't get this opportunity much anymore.

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**A/N** _Longest chapter ever. Ugh. How did you guys like Freaky Friends & FanFiction? I laughed so hard when Austin and Dez switched. :D Anyways, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME GUYS. And keep reading. It gets better! __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	43. Stay Here & Something To Talk About

**A/N**_I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to post this chapter. I'm so busy this week, it's killing me, I'm exhausted. But I want to finish the story so bad, so I'm going to hurry up as fast as I can. Ten chapters left. :) Enjoy_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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This summer was turning out to be the best one I'd ever had. I was with my friends nearly every day. Dad gave me a lot of time off of work. Austin had stopped playing his gig. Everything was perfect, besides the fact that I knew Austin would be gone and out of my grasp within the next two months. There was nothing I could do to stop him.

However, since I knew Austin was going, I was stretching my own boundaries. I began looking in to MUNY a little bit more. Their music programs was superb, but how I was going to get accepted, I had no idea. I still had a year to figure it out and work for it, though, so I would try my best. I hadn't told Austin of my plans yet. I wanted to wait and see how we worked out after he moved away first.

I was laying on my bed, a cool summer night breeze flowing through my window when a blonde head popped in to my view. I nearly fell out of my bed in shock.

"Austin!" I gasp, "What are you doing here? It's eleven at night!"

He chuckles and continues to climb in. Dad still hadn't noticed the ladder that Austin and Dez had placed on the side of my house for easy access to my room. I guess he wouldn't see it since my window was located on the back of my house, not the front.

"I wanted to see you. We haven't had any alone time in a while, Ally."

It was true. Since summer started we've been with our friends pretty much every day, and never alone.

He comes and sits next to me. He takes a deep breath. "Ally, I don't want you to think that just because I'm moving doesn't mean we can't keep our relationship going." He takes my left hand. "I put this ring on your finger for a reason."

I raise my eyebrow at him. "You mean you knew you were going to move to California all along?"

He shakes his head quickly. "No, no." He says frantically, "I just mean that I think we can make it through anything."

I blush, embarrassed. "I sure hope so."

He chuckles. "I know we can... Me and you, we're like... The moon and the sun, the ocean and the sand, the melody and the harmony... We're perfect."

I wrap my arms around his neck. I realized now that he was right. I never wanted to let him go.

I felt the first tear spill out of my eye and caress my cheek. The first tear I had spilled about this matter. I had never cried over a boy before, until now.

I sniffled and pulled back, and he frowned. "Don't cry." He whispers. I wipe my face. "Sorry." I mumble, sniffling again. He cups my chin in his hands. "You can come with me, you know."

I just stare at him. He knows as well as I do that I can't do that. I have to help my dad. I have to go to school. I have to stay with Trish.

"You have Ian and Tenley," I whisper, "you won't need me over there."

He puts his forehead to mine. "You know that's not true. I think about you, every morning when I open my eyes. I think about you, every evening when I turn out the lights. I think about you, every moment, every day of my life. You're on my mind, all the time, it's true." By the time he had finished he was almost singing his words, and I just smiled. "I need you." He finished.

I sigh. "You know I can't go, Austin. But I'll be waiting for you every day until you get back." He smiles. "It's not like I won't visit."

I know this is true, but still.

I get up and walk across the room to lock my door. "Stay with me." I murmur. He looks thoughtful, then he nods. "Of course." He replies.

I climb under the covers with him, and he wraps his arms around me. With his hot breath on my neck, I fall asleep dreaming of the past times we've had together, and the rest that we will have. Will we stay together? Will the promise really live on? I can only hope and pray.

I wake up the next morning without Austin by my side. I'm not surprised, I didn't expect him to stay the whole night.

I roll out of bed, brush my teeth, put my hair in a messy bun, and make my way downstairs. I'm startled when I hear the TV running, because dad should have left for work a long time ago. I round the corner to find Austin sitting on my couch, watching cartoons.

"I thought you left." I say, and he turns around and smiles. "Nah," he replies, "I heard your dad go out so I just came on down."

I join him and prop my feet on the coffee table. "What do you want to do today?"

He looks thoughtful. "Why don't we hang out here? Last night we talked about how we haven't been spending much time together. Let's catch up."

I smile. "I would like that."

He kisses my cheek. "I made you breakfast. It's in the kitchen."

I raise an eyebrow and smirk. "It's not pancakes, is it?"

He chuckles. "No. An omelet."

I perk up and head towards the kitchen. I loved omelets.

Once I finish eating my great breakfast, I wash my dishes in the sink. He's sitting on the counter, tapping out a rhythm. He sighs, reminiscing. "Remember that first song we wrote together? Our hands touched at the piano once, and I just felt a spark. It was great. I knew we would work out."

I honestly don't remember what he'a talking about with our hands touching. I'm suddenly aware that Austin must have had those kinds of feelings for me before I had them for him. I guess I already knew that, though. The wink the first night he drove me home, the flirting at school... The first kiss.

There's nothing like a first kiss.

We've been together nearly 10 months now. He would be moving right around the time we will be together a year. Well, that's depressing. I push the thought to the back of my mind.

He smiles. "That first song... It really means something to me. And I'm going to hold on to my copy of our album for as long as I'm alive. I'll listen to it every day."

I sigh. I hadn't listened to our album much. It made me sad. "You sure are taking this whole moving away thing a lot easier than I am." I whimper.

He frowns. "It hurts me so much. But I've gotten really good at hiding my emotions."

I cross the room and grab his hands. "I don't want you to hold in your emotions." I tell him, and he smiles weakly. "I think it makes you feel better when I do." He admits.

It's true. If Austin had been emitting the sadness he was feeling, it would be a lot worse for me. I loved that he thought of my feelings before his own, but it still made me feel kind of guilty.

He smirks at me suddenly. "You know, there's no one home. We could do anything."

I get what he's inferring, and I'm not going to lie, I want to. I know I can't though. No matter what the temptation.

I hold up the rings on my left hand. "After marriage."

He sighs enthusiastically. "Guess we better get married pretty quick then, huh?"

I laugh. "I'm not getting married until after college at the least."

He nods. "Me either. I wasn't saying we should do it now, but we are going to eventually, aren't we?"

I think about it. At this point, I'm not really sure if Austin and I will ever marry. Don't get me wrong, I loved him. A lot. He was going to school, though, and anything could happen over the next four years. He could fall head over heels for a California girl. He could decide the distance was too far. He could realize this, us, wasn't what he wanted after all.

Throughout the day, we watch movies, have conversations, and cuddle on the couch. I loved the feeling of his strong arms around me. I felt so safe.

It was getting late, and dad would be home soon. "Austin," I murmur as we are watching a program on the television, "you should probably leave. Dad will be home soon."

He nods, knowing I'm right.

He arises and I walk him to the door. He digs his keys out of his pocket and hugs me tight. He kisses me, and whispers "I love you."

I feel chill bumps rise on my neck.

I bet it wasn't ten minutes after Austin left that dad came through the door. "Hi, honey!" He greeted me, "How was your day?"

"Good!" I answer truthfully.

He comes to hug me, but pulls back quickly. "You smell like a boy." He observes, and I gulp. Wow.

"Has Austin been here?" He asks, and I can't tell what his expression is. I know I can't lie, so I nod and study my bare feet.

He sighs. "Ally, you know I trust you and Austin. He's a great guy. I really don't like him over when I'm not here without my permission, though."

"I know, dad." I sigh, ashamed. If only he knew just how many times Austin had been here when he was here, but didn't know it. He was really oblivious.

I'm surprised when he wraps me in a hug. "Thanks for understanding." He murmurs,

And I nod in to his shoulder.

I make my way up the stairs and close my bedroom door. I undress and make my way to my shower, putting my rings on the counter and shutting the door.

I let the water feel fiery against my skin. I loved really hot showers. I'm sure tomorrow I would hang out with the whole gang, as usual. Today was just special.

When I get out and towel myself down, I look at myself in the mirror. I suddenly have the feeling that I'm just an average girl. Austin was so much more than that, though. Did I deserve him?

Something in the back of my mind told me no, but my heart told me yes. There was no doubt in my mind that he loved me the way I loved him.

The next day, dad actually told me I would have to work the full day, because he had woken up with a migraine. So much for hanging out with friends. I didn't mind, though, because dad had given me a whole lot of time off. It wouldn't hurt me to work one normal day. I was beginning to get lazy.

As I sat behind the counter, I watched customers come in and out, checking out their purchases when needed. Sonic Boom was an awesome place, but an awful job. It was very boring. Instruments are expensive, and when customers came in, they very rarely ever bought anything.

I was surprised when Tenley walked through the door, alone.

"Hey!" She greeted me enthusiastically, walking right up to the counter. "Hi." I said with a smile.

She leans against the counter on her elbows. "This may sound strange, but I wanted to know if you wanted to talk. Vent, you know? Trish isn't very good to vent to, I know."

I swallow, knowing she's right. What was there to vent about, though? Austin leaving?

She ran a hand through her bangs. "I feel guilty, almost... Because Ian convinced Austin to go to California."

I tilt my head. "Tenley, don't blame yourself. Ian isn't your responsibility."

Tenley blushes. "He's really great, Ally. And strong... All he's been through..."

I nod. "I was there that night. You can't even imagine the horror, Tenley..." I shudder.

She nods, and takes a deep breath. "I'm just... I'm sorry. If Austin means as much to you as Ian means to me, then this must crush you..."

Now I'm the one getting choked up. "He means a lot. I know that."

She chuckles, and stands up straight once more. "Just two brunettes and two blondes against the world." She smiles. "I need to get going, Ally. I'm glad we could talk. If you ever need me... I'm here."

I smile, and walk out from behind the counter and hug her. "Thanks."

She nods and returns my hug.

I was glad Tenley came and talked to me. That was really nice of her. I could see us being good friends in the future. Trish meant a lot, though. I could never replace her.

I stretch as the store finally begins to clear out. Only a little while longer before I can close up...

I sigh and sit back down. Only about two months of summer left. What other crazy stuff would we end up getting in to?

**A/N**_ Once again, sorry it took sooooo long to update :( very, very busy. I know it's a sucky chapter. I had mega intense writer's block. Love you all! __**Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	44. Reality & Road Trips

**A/N** _Since the last chapter is short and crappy, this one will be better, and have more words. :) Sorry that I'm having to skip through the summer so quickly! But truly, what would be so exciting about their summer, anyway? Summers are fun, yes, but they live in Miami, and they can go to the beach and stuff year round, so... Yeah! Hope you all don't mind. :) Enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"Just jump!" Dez screams from below me, and all the others pitch in. We were cliff diving off of some rocks in to the clear ocean. I was the only one left, and I gulped as I looked over the edge dizzily... It was so far down. Sure, I had been bungee jumping, but never anything like this.

I take a deep breath before backing up, running forward, and diving over the edge. They all swam out of the way before I made the plunge.

I surfaced a few seconds later and knocked the water out of my ears. "See, that wasn't so bad!" Trish laughed. I smirk.

Tenley grinned at us. It was her idea to come. Where she was from, in California, she went cliff diving like this all the time off of even bigger cliffs.

"Let's go again!" Austin says enthusiastically, and I grunt. "No way! I'll be getting water out of my ears for I month!" I protest, hitting the side of my head once more.

Everyone laughs, and we begin the swim towards the shore. It's a pretty easy journey, because the tide helps us. The beach is pretty stranded, not many people around. Some were walking, but not many. The beach was thin near the tall rocks, so not many came around to tan here, although a lot of people did swim. There were many little figures moving and bobbing out in the water.

I wring out my hair and tie it up in a bun. The sun is hot as it sets, and I feel the water evaporating off of my creamy skin. Austin lays an arm around my shoulder. "We should do that again sometime." He comments, and I nod.

"Let's do something crazy!" Trish giggles, and Ian shakes his head. "No, no! I've had enough crazy for one day." Tenley grins and wraps her arms around his firm torso.

Trish rolls her eyes. "Not too crazy. Just crazy fun."

Austin raises an eyebrow. "Let's get tattoos!" He laughs, and we laugh too, because we all know in the back of our minds that Austin getting my name on him was definitely crazy. I eye the black letters now, just above his bathing suit.

"Let's go to a party or something." Dez says, putting his chin in his hand, and Ian shakes his head. "Definitely not. You know how things like that end." His pupils dialate at the horrible memories running through his head.

"Maybe we should go do something and they can go to a party as long as they promise to be safe and have a designated driver." Tenley suggests. Ian is about to object, but he sighs and nods. "I just want to protect you all. You're all my siblings, in a way. Just be careful."

Everyone is about to agree when Austin shakes his head. "You're right, it's risky. There's better ways to have fun with friends without alcohol involved. We'll do something else."

I'm surprised by his actions, but I'm glad that's those words came out of his mouth. He never got drunk unless I, too, was drinking, though. He never drank at his own parties, either... When he threw them, anyway. He had stopped that long ago and only ever had alcohol with friends. I was beginning to think that those days were also coming to an end, though.

Dez and Trish groan in protest, but soon shut up when I flash them a look. Ian smiles and nods and Austin. "Want to come back to the house with us? We'll play Sardines."

"Sardines?" I ask, confused. Trish and Dez also looked perplexed, but Austin had a huge grin on his face. "Awesome!" He exclaimed, "I'll explain in the car, Ally. Let's go!"

Trish, Dez, and I rode with Austin while Ian and Tenley drove separate.

"Okay," Austin began, "our neighbor showed Ian and I a game when we were little, and to this day, it's still the best thing ever. Sardines is like reverse hide-and-go-seek. Only one person hides, and then everyone else splits up and looks for them. When someone finds the person, they join them in the hiding spot. The last person to find the group is the Sardine and has to hide next. It's best to play at night." He grins. "We're such children."

We all giggle, knowing that, since our ages ranged from anywhere between seventeen and twenty-two, we really were children at heart.

When we reached the Moons' house, Austin's mom and dad greeted us when we walked through the door. "Hey, kids." Austin's mom said, "Home a bit early, huh?"

Truthfully, it was pretty early for all of us to be here right now, because it was summer, and the nights were long.

"We thought we'd come and play Sardines." Ian explains, and his dad laughs and roll his eyes. "You guys still love that game, don't you." Austin nods eagerly, and we head for the basement.

"Okay, who's the first Sardine?" Dez asks, and Tenley volunteers. "I will be. Sounds fun!"

We all stay seated on the couch with our eyes closed for about a minute while Tenley silently scurries off.

"Okay, guys." Ian says, rubbing his hands together. "She could be anywhere within the house or the back yard. Let's split up and go."

We all split, and I head straight for the back yard, because I've come to know that Tenley likes being outside. The crickets are chirping in the darkness, and I pull out my phone to see better. It turns out I'm the only one who has come searching out here, so I hope I'm right.

Soon, I spot a foot poking out from under a bush in the Moons' garden. I sneak around and plop myself down beside her. We giggle. "I knew you would find me. I saw you come out the back door." Tenley whispers, and I just shrug.

We sit there for about five minutes before anyone else even opens the back door. Ian found us next, then Austin, the Trish, then Dez. Dez was the next Sardine.

We played on and on like little kids for about an hour, until Austin and Ian's parents finally got tired of us running around the house and laughing.

"Okay, okay." Austin's mom sighed, standing up. "Let's all take a breather. Sorry to be the party pooper, but let's stop playing, actually. The ground is literally shaking from you silly kids running around so much. Why don't you just go to the basement and do something a little more civilized?"

We mumble in protest, but head back down to the basement.

"What do we do now?" Austin groans as he plops down in the floor unenthusiasticaly. "Summer only has about a month and a half left before this group has to split in half. We need to do something memorable, guys. Something more memorable than jumping off bridges and cliffs and playing Sardines in the house." He runs a hand through his hair. "We need to go on a road trip or something."

I raise my eyebrows. I liked his thinking. "A road trip? That sounds fun. Where?"

We all put our heads together and think. Where would be fun to go for a week? Somewhere that kids like us don't get to see very often? Obviously not a beach. Obviously not anywhere too hot.

"Why not somewhere like New York? Manhattan?" I suggest, and they all smile imminently.

I would love to go to New York City and look around. Not only because of my new-found interest in MUNY, but also because of what a famous city it was all together. How much fun would that be for a road trip?

"My dream is to perform Times Square on New Year's Eve! I would love to see it!" Austin breathes, and they all pitch in with agreement.

"If we do go, we can stay or six or seven days by ourselves. I think it would be cool to get out of Miami for a little while. Miami is awesome, but it can get boring after a while." I say. "I wonder if our parents will be okay with it, though."

"My parents will be okay," Trish says, "they're really chill."

"My parents will just be glad to get rid of me." Dez laughs.

"Obviously, I can go, since I'm already in college and live half way across the country anyways." Ian laughs, and Tenley pitches in by saying "Me too!"

"I think mom would be cool with it as long as Ian is going. Dad won't care." Austin says with a shrug.

"I'm sure my dad will let me, too. This will be so much fun!" I say excitedly, and we all high five.

With our parents consents, we began planning the next day. We would take a plane over to The Big Apple and stay from Saturday to Saturday, exactly a week. We needed to save all of our money that we got within the next week, because we had a week before we would be leaving to go. Plane tickets and the hotel rooms would be quite expensive.

"Guys, I think I can help us out." Tenley says with a smile. "I'm sure my parents would send us some money. They've always wanted me to visit New York."

We raise our eyebrows. "You don't need to do that." Ian whispers, and Tenley rolls her eyes. "Ian, you know it won't bother dad. And it's not like he doesn't have money to spare."

Okay, so I had gotten the idea that Tenley was... Rather wealthy. Even wealthier than the Moons. She was always in expensive brand clothes, and things like that. I was just glad she wasn't snotty.

At this point, none of us were rejecting her ideas. No, we didn't want to use her parents money, but if they didn't mind, why not?

Throughout the next week we were as busy as we'd ever been. We tried to split things up and make sure that Dez didn't screw anything up all at the same time. We were able to find a hotel room for a reasonably cheap price, considering it was near the heard of Manhattan We would have two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls. We found some plane tickets, though none of us got to sit together for the flight sense they were kind of last-minute. And I, myself, had been looking up some things to look at while I was near MUNY. I was going to see if I liked the school before I sent in any applications.

We were all shaking with excitement as we boarded the plane. Austin was nearly on the other side of the plane from me, which wasn't convenient because I wish he could be beside me holding my hand. I was terrified of planes.

I just took a deep breath as I found my seat, which was, of course, right in the middle of two people I didn't know. One of them had body odor and one of them was coughing profusely. Oh, Lord, help me survive the next three hours.

I put in my headphones and took a deep breath as the plane lifted off the ground. There was a lot of turbulence and I was continually getting freaked out. I was grateful when the flight attendants offered us beverages.

When I finally felt the plane descending, I eagerly put away my iPod and sat up in my chair. I hated the landing, because the inertia was just so bad. But once they said we could exit the plane, I got out of there as fast as I possibly could. I found all the others waiting on me at the baggage claim, where they had already gotten all of our bags. Austin was hopping up and down on his toes. "Let's go, let's go, I want to see Times Square!"

I giggle and loop my arm around his. "Calm down. We have to check in to the hotel first and everything."

He rolls his eyes as we walk to the exit and flag down a taxi. I took in the incredible New York air, which was so much crisper than Florida air. There wasn't a humidity hanging in the air, as there always was in Miami. Everything felt so cool on my skin, and I loved it. Even though it was summer, it was only about seventy degrees Fahrenheit here today, whereas it was about ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit when we left from Miami. It felt so great out.

We were able to stuff ourselves in a van taxi as we chatted eagerly. "I can't wait!" Tenley breathes, "I'm so happy that my dad helped us out. He knows how much I wanted to go to New York and now I'm here! I'm actually standing here! The next week is going to be so spectacular, guys!" She stares in to Ian's eyes. "I'm so glad I met you."

It was the first time I had ever seen Ian stare in to a girl's eyes and kiss her like he meant it. Like he actually loved her.

I was so happy to see Ian happy. It was like everyone could finally breathe, because it was as if Ian had finally moved on, and saved himself. Or, more rather, Tenley saved him. There was no doubt in my mind that Tenley was the one for him. I felt like there was about to be something big going to happen in their lives.

We arrived at the hotel, where it seemed like it took forever to get checked in. The rooms were amazing. There were three beds in each room, with a large shower and a vanity. There was a flat screen television in each room. We were in Heaven for the next week.

We group hugged in the elevator, on our way back down to go tour the city.

"Guys," Austin breathes, "you're the best." He kisses me on the cheek and we all laugh.

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**A/N** _Okay, so it wasn't as long as I wanted it to be. But I KNOW next chapter will be longer because it covers an entire week! Yep, their entire New York trip will be shoved in to one chapter. So, it might take me like, a week to write lol. DON'T HATE ME. Love you all. :D **Review, favorite, and follow!**_

_Question to Answer: What do you think will be a totally shocking thing to happen while the gang is in NYC?_

**_Shoutout to ausllyraura33 for being such an awesome viewer! :) You can always cheer me up!_**


	45. Another Writer's Announcement!

**I'm really sad to say that the next chapter won't be posted until sometime next week :( I'm so sorry, guys! Here's why:**

**I got sick earlier this week and was for a few days. I felt so bad, I wasn't even able to write.**

**Then, I had a ton of make-up work for school I had to get done.**

**And, finally, now I've gone somewhere for the weekend and forgotten my laptop, which has all of the chapter I wrote before I got sick on it.**

**So, I hope you can all be patient and bear with me. :( I'm very disappointed. Love all my viewers.**

**Forgive me? xo**


	46. New York City & New Memories

**A/N**_ Prepare for a super long chapter! I feel like it will be a good one with a lot of loveee. :) Hehe. Thanks for all the support, everyone! Enjoy this! I loved writing it, as I always do. Very, VERY sorry about how late it is. I feel so ashamed. D: Hope you all can forgive me. :) It's my longest chapter. I was aiming for at least 5,000 words and I just barely made it. :) Many, many things are happening, so be sure to keep up. ;D Haha just kidding. I know it won't be that hard to keep up with. Leave me a review after and tell me what you think! I really appreciate support, and there is for sure going to be a sequel. :) However, the sequel chapter won't be posted as fast as the chapters for this story, and probably it won't be as long, either. I'm still working it out. The end of this one is coming up in just seven more chapters, guys. :( Oh, well. Also, I didn't have time to spell check or anything so forgive me for any mistakes. Enjoy!_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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I've never seen Austin so speechless. He gripped my hand as if he never wanted to let go, and then he pulled me in to a hug. "Times Square!" He breathes, "It's here. Right in front of me."

And it was.

We all smile along with Austin, because his excitement is getting to us all. "Imagine me in a few years, right up there, singing... To millions of people." He gripped my hand even tighter. "Wow."

It was our first day in New York City, and although we had only been out and about for nearly three hours, we loved it. I loved it. I couldn't wait to snatch an opportunity to go tour the MUNY campus. By myself, of course. I loved Austin, and my friends, but this was something I wanted to do alone.

We snapped a ton of pictures together in Times Square. We were finally able to drag Austin out of there to go do something else, because we only has seven days in the Big Apple, and we didn't want to miss a thing. I was a firm believer that Austin would play Times quare someday. I'm sure it will be many years from now, but I will live for the day when I can watch him on my television and say "He's mine." Either that or, "He was mine."

Austin is being extra sweet to me, but I'm not complaining. I loved the attention from him. I love love! Sometimes I feel so odd, because earlier in my life, I would have never counted on a boy for my happiness, but now, I wasn't so sure. I better live up the rest of this summer while I can.

"Hey, Ally..." Austin murmurs in a childish voice. I giggle. "What?" He grins and bends down to kiss me on the cheek. "I love you." I wink at him. "I love you too."

I watched Ian and Tenley swinging arms as they walked and held hands ahead of us. Ian was laughing about something that Tenley had said, and I grin.

I felt my stomach growl as I became aware that we had skipped lunch. "Hey, guys, let's get something to eat." I decide, and they all nod eagerly. Dez looks really thankful that someone has mentioned eating.

We stop by a McDonalds, since it will be pretty cheap, and we decide to take the food back to our hotel, because the place is packed. Unable to flag a taxi, we have to walk all the way back, which takes at least forty-five minutes, maybe longer. We all eat in the guys' room, sitting on the floor in the circle, taking off our shoes because our feet fell as if they were going to fall off. Walking around everywhere was tough stuff.

"Been a good day!" Trish exclaims, "I'm glad we came here. This was a good idea."

The truth was, we all felt very independant, I think. Here, in the big city, without our parents or anything like that. Free to do what we wanted, without supervision. Sure, that's pretty much how it was all summer, but here, we were far, far away from our parents or anyone we knew, for that matter. All we had was each other. I loved it.

I wonder what it would be like going on tour with Austin with this group of people? Not that it would happen, but wouldn't it be nice? We could go to so many different cities, not just this one. Wow. That would be living the dream.

We finish our food and dispose of our trash. I am really eager to get out there and see MUNY, but I know now is not the right time. It's beginning to get dark, and I'm sure that the rest of them will want to get out and go walk around some more. Either that or just crawl in the bed and sleep forever, seeing as how sore my feet were. That would be my top choice, even though I really did love New York, and I wanted to see the city lights at night. But, right now, I think it would be best to just stay put.

I think the others agree with me, too, because no one is making an effort to get up and do anything.

Eventually we split up and went to our seperate rooms. I let Trish go first for a shower, because I know she gets grumpy. Tenley isn't arguing either.

I realize we have a balcony. A small one, but a balcony. I make my way out the sliding doors and sit down right there on the ground, leaning against the bars and looking across the skyline, hearing the honking car horns and what not. Tenley had soon joined me.

"So," Tenley sighs, making conversation, "have you gone to look at MUNY yet?"

I shoot a look at her. How could she know?

She laughs and rolls her eyes. "Come on, Ally. We all know you want to go to MUNY. It's your dream."

"Y-Yeah," I mumble, "but how did you guys know?"

She grins. "You're an open book to me, Ally. I can tell what you're thinking, kind of. Not in a creepy way, but... I can."

I nod, kind of dismissing the conversation. Okay, so, they knew I wanted to go see MUNY. I didn't really mind, I guess, but it did slightly aggarvate me. Oh, well. When Trish gets out of the shower, I let Tenley go next, and I pull my Book out of my suitcase. I don't really know why. I guess I just need to read some lyrics to calm myself down a bit. It's been a very busy day.

When I finally get myself showered, I come out to find Tenley and Trish already alseep. I, myself, crawl in to my own bed, and am soon out too.

Morning comes way too soon. Still, I'm eager to see more of this beautiful city. My eagerness is sudenly gone when I realize... It's raining.

"Trish, Tenley!" I groan loudly from the balcony window. The mumble in their beds, and Trish even pulls the covers over her head. "It's raining." I whimper.

Tenley sits up quickly and frowns. "What? I didn't know it was going to rain..."

"Me either." I huff, and I cross my arms. Seconds later, there was a knock on the door. I walked across the room and opened it to reveal Austin in his boxers and a tshirt. "It's raining!" He cries frantically. "I know." I say with a sigh. "How about going to put some pants on?"

He looks down, and his face gets red. I wink at him, and we quickly walks back to his room.

Since it was raining, and didn't appear to be clearing up, there would have to be some indoor activities for today, I suppose. Although, today would be a perfect time for me to sneak away without the others wanting to catch up with me.

I slip in to the bathroom and pull my hair back in to a high ponytail, not worrying about makeup, because I know it will smear out in the moisture. Once finished, I come back out and get on some skinny jeans, a white blouse, and some black and white polka dotted rainboots I just happened to pack. I was grabbing my wallet and my black coat, heading for the door, when Trish said, "Ally, where are you going?"

I realized I had given my roomates no explanation for my actions.

"Uh..." I mutter. The truth is, I really do want to see MUNY in private. I don't even want Austin with me. I feel that, if I'm with my friends, it could some how influence my decision, for the good or bad. I didn't want that. I wanted my decision to be purely my own. "Out." I answer simply.

Tenley obviously sees what I'm up to. I bite my lip, because Trish looks oddly suspicious. "In this weather?" She asks, and I just nod.

"Ally is going out to think of some new lyrics. She doesn't want a distraction. She was gonna go to a cafe I think, right Ally?" Tenley asks, raising her eyebrows. I relax and smile at her, grateful for her help. "Yeah... Yeah, she's right." I realize I don't have my Book in my hand, and I crossed the room to grab it off my nightstand. "Forgot this!" I say with a nervous laugh, and cross back towards to door once more. "Bye, guys! See you all later!"

Once I finally think I've made it to safety, I haven't. Austin is just returning to our room when I shut the door. I hold in a sigh.

"Where you going?" He asks, looking me up and down. "To a cafe down the street," I answer, "to write some lyrics."

He smiles. "Cool," he replies, "I'll come with you."

I hold up my hand. "No, no." I murmur. "I don't want any distractions."

He frowns, obviously hurt. I sigh, suddenly guilty. "Austin... I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

He shakes his head. "No, it's okay." He says with a weak smile. "I was afraid this day was coming, but I guess I'll have to face it."

I raise an eyebrow at him. "This day? What do you mean by that?" I ask accusingly.

"The day when we began to, even the slightest bit, grow apart." He runs a hand through his hair, and I'm aware that we're awkwardly standing in the hotel hallway. "If you're feeling the need to get detached from me because I'm going away, then just tell me... I can handle it."

I wrap my arms around his waist, breathing in his scent, and he hesitantly wraps me in a hug. "No, Austin..." I whisper, "No, that's not it. I still love you. I don't want to get detached." I pause and look up in to his brown eyes. "I'll wait for you."

His smile seems genuine as he reaches down and kisses me softly. "Good luck with the song." He murmurs. I blush, and as I make my way to the elevator, I'm suddenly feeling very good and very bad at the same time. Austin thought I wanted to detach myself from him... It hurt me, but I suppose it's my own fault. I wanted to feel closer to him. I bite my lip as the elevator descended. I would need to have some alone time with him soon. We hadn't had alone time in a long time.

As I walked out of the lobby of the hotel, a shiver went down my spine and I pulled the hood of my jacket up over my ears. It had been a while since I had been genuinley cold from being outside.

I waves my arm by the sidewalk for at least ten minutes before a taxi finally came. "Music University of New York's campus, please." I say quietly as I climb in, and the taxi driver nods.

The ride is considerably long, since it is raining and no one wants to walk. The roads are clogged, and my taxi driver curses under his breath at the traffic. Once finally arrived, I pay him, and excitedly step out of the vehicle.

I was on the campus.

I inhaled the moist New York air as rain drops fell on my head, reminding me to put up my hood again. I looked around. Nothing but beauty everywhere. It was a small school, with only about 3,000 students. They walked happily down the sidewalks with drumsticks, instrument cases, and journals in their hands. They all smiled at my as I passed them, and I returned the favor. If anything was perfect, it was the atmosphere. Even on a dreary day like this, everyone was happy. It was odd, because the headmaster of the school was quite a harsh guy... Or so I've heard. I find a bench to rest on for a few minutes, tightening my ponytail and checking the buttons on my blouse.

The buildings were small, but music pulsed from a few of them. There was a statue of a grande piano in the center of the campus, where not many people were. I wondered if it was because of the weather, or because it was a good time for people to be in their classes.

I walked past some dorms, that looked reasonably sized. Even better, all of them were private. There were no roomates in this campus. That was good, because I never was all that great at meeting new people. After all, my junior year of high school, the only real friends I made were Dez, Austin, Ian, and Tenley. Trish doesn't count, because I knew her before all of them.

After about two hours, I had seen it all. And I loved it. I knew that this was the college I wanted to attend now. I couldn't even express any of my other options now. My senior year, this was, I decided, where I would apply.

It was beginning to get close to lunch time, and I knew that, to make my story realistic, I needed to be at that cafe writing. Some new inspirations had come to mind after hearing all the lovely tunes on campus.

After flagging down yet another taxi, and getting stuck in traffic yet again, I found the cafe Tenley spoke of earlier to cover my story. It was tiny, but crowded. I knew I wouldn't really get much accomplished here, but I would feel guilty if i told them I was coming here and then didn't even do anything for a song. I orded a frappe after waiting in line a while, and managed to find a spot on a sofa. I am about to pull out my Book and get to writing when I realize... I don't have my Book.

My Book is gone.

My... Book... Is... Gone.

MY BOOK IS GONE.

Panic, panic! Okay, try not to panic, try not to panic. I tried to remeber the last place I had it... I didn't have it in the taxi on the way over here. In fact, I don't think I had it with me most of the time on the MUNY campus.

The bench... Of course! When I sat down on that bench to rest, I laid my Book next to me... and I never picked it up.

I forced the tears back down in to my throat. I wasn't going to cry. Not here, not now. I knew I couldn't go back to that campus today. I didn't have enough money in my wallet for another taxi ride, and it was too far to walk. I would have to wait until at least tomorrow and hope and pray that someone turned it in to a lost and found or something, anything where I could find my Book. The precious Book my mom got me as a birthday present seven years earlier. The Book where I wrote all my lyrics, all my songs. So many memories were wrapped up behind that worn leather cover, and if I didn't get it back, I didn't know what I would do. If no one got it out of the rain soon, it would rot away, and all would be lost.

I discard my frappe, knowing I wouldn't drink it now, and head back towards the hotel. I ride the elevator up to the room, not looking forward to having to tell my friends where I had been all day, and how the Book was lost. I decided to tell them that I had gone over to just look around for the heck of it, and that it had not been my original plan. It wasn't like me to lie, but I had kind of already lied to them, anyway.

I took a deep breath as I opened the door to my room. Everyone was in there, laying across the beds scrolling through phones and talking secondhandedly. They looked up as I shut the door behind me. Austin flashed me a smile, then frowned when he saw the immienient panic on my face. He slowly got up and approached me. "Ally," he murmurs, "what's wrong?"

I take a deep breath as I begin, deciding to just tell them the truth. "I lost my Book..." His eyes get big, and I continue, "I went to look at the MUNY campus before going to the cafe... And I set it down on a bench over there and forgot it. I realized when I got back to the cafe what I had done, and it's too late to go back today. I didn't get to write a new song or anything at all." My eyes drop to the floor as the tears well up behind my eyes, and I blink them back. I'm aware of my friends staring at me.

He holds my shoulders gently. "We'll go back tomorrow and see if we can find it. Maybe it's still there? Or someone turned it in?" He states. I'm glad he's not upset about me going to see MUNY. But, truthfully, he doesn't have a right to be upset. He's going to California, I should be able to go wherever I want. I just nod, and he holds my hand and we go and lay down on a bed. "I'm sorry, Ally." Trish whimpers, and I shrug, knowing there's really nothing I could do about it. Tenley is giving me a pained look, too.

The rest of the day is long and the night is restless. Austin and I go to catch a cab to MUNY before anyone else is even awake. He holds my hand in the back of the taxi cab. "We'll get it back." Austin murmurs. I sure hoped so. Third day of this trip, and something had already gone wrong.

We arrived, and we immieniently headed for the bench. I wasn't surprised when my Book wasn't there.

Austin sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Let's go to the main building and ask if anyone has turned it in." He suggests, and I nod solemnly.

I walk in to the building and am not surprised to hear music coming out of a sound system overhead. It loosens me up a bit. "Excuse me," I murmur to a lady behind a desk. She looks up from a page of notes to look at me. "Yes?" She asks, and I swallow. "This may be an odd question, but... Has anyone turned in a book with a leather cover, it has lyrics and stuff written inside of it? I lost it here yesterday while I was looking around campus and I really need it back..."

She studies me for a moment before rising from her seat. "Stay here." She orders, and I nod as she walks around a corner. "Do you think they found it?" I whisper hopefully to Austin, and he just shrugs and squeezes my hand.

A moment later, the woman returns with a man whom I assume is the headmaster. He has a permanently grim look on his face, but at the same time, he looks... Hopeful? "Ma,am," he says, "would you come back here for a moment?"

I glance at Austin, confused. He nods at me, to tell me to go. Maybe they have my Book.

I follow the man down a long narrow hallway with offices on both sides. Finally, he turns in to a much larger room, and my assumptions are correct. On a desk in the corner of the room, a name plate reads "Headmaster of MUNY".

He tells me to take a seat in one of the two large leather chairs in front of his desk. I do, and I take in my surroundings. A lot of books and music notes painted on the plain white walls. Very... Calming, almost?

"What is your name, Miss?" The headmaster asks me, and I reply nervously, "Ally Dawson."

He holds out a hand for me to shake, and I do hesitantley. "Where are you from?"

I'm slightly confused and a bit concerned at this point. "Miami, Florida, sir. I'm up here on a road trip with my friends and boyfriend" I say with raised eyebrows. "Is there a problem?"

He shakes his head, then reaches for a drawer on the side of the large wooden desk. My heart skips a beat when he pulls out my Book and hands it to me. I gasp and hug it to my chest. "Oh, sir, thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me!" I give him a genuine smile, and he returns it.

"You're quite an amazing songwriter, Miss Dawson. I am beyond impressed." He comments, leaning back in his chair. I shoot him a look. "You read my Book?" I gasp, suddenly a bit offended yet very happy at the same time. After all, the headmaster of MUNY complemented my songwriting. I doubt he would say that to just anyone.

"I had to, ma'am." He explains, "a student turned it in, and we went through some of it to try and find a name, but there was none printed anywhere. It was such a shame, becase we were all admiring the work you have done. How old are you, Miss Dawson?"

"Seventeen," I murmur absentmindedly, studying the cover of my book where I had noticed the lether starting to crack because of the exposure to the weather, "I'm going to be a senior in high school this year."

"How would you like a scholarship to MUNY?"

My heart stops. I jerk my head up and look at him. "What?" I breathe, "That's my dream, t-that would be amazing!"

He chuckles. "Well, Miss Dawson, your work is extraordinary. How is your singing voice?"

"Pretty good," I blush, "I have always written songs but my boyfriend convinced me to get over my stagefright."

He nods. "Very good. If you will give me your email, Miss Dawson, I will get in touch with you very soon and we can discuss your college plans."

I'm so excited, I can barely tell him the address, shake his hand once more, and prance down the office and back down the hall. I pull Austin out of the building, then screech with excitement.

"You got your Book back!" He says with a smile, "That's great!"

"Austin! They offered me a full ride to MUNY!" I'm gasping and hopping up and down all at the same time.

His eyes get big. "What?" He gasps, "How?!"

I explain the whole situation to him, and he wraps me in a hug and spins me around. This was the best day of my life.

Austin and I walk all the way back to the hotel instead of catching a taxi once more. We hold hands and swing arms, laughing and smiling. I was so happy that he was happy for me. My dreams were coming true.

He gets a phone call from Ian, telling us to meet the rest of them in Central Park. We head in that direction, and arrive not much later since it was realitively close to where we were. We find the others having a picnic in the grass, and they screech and jump up and hug me with excitement when I tell them the news.

We sit in the park and chat, eating cheese and crackers and watching the butterflies go by. It was a beutiful day today, warm and not a cloud in the sky.

Ian is holding Tenley by the waist, and her head is on his shoulders.

"Tenley," he breathes, "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much."

She blushes at his kind words, and looks as shocked as I'm sure the rest of us look when Ian leans away from her, turns to face her, and props himself up on one knee, and pulls out a white gold ring with a small diamond on the tip.

"I can't imagine not spending the rest of my life with you, even though we haven't been together very long. I just know that we're meant for each other. You've helped me through so many hard things in my life... God gave me you, and I'm asking you now... Will you marry me?"

Silence.

And then, a sob of happiness escapes Tenley's mouth, and she hugs Ian tightly. "Yes!" She says excitedly, "Of course I will."

We all clap. I'm pretty sure none of us were expecting this. Not even Austin, by the look on his face. I smile at him. "So precious!" I mouth, and he nods with a grin. Dez is beside himself with happiness, I notice. Ian and Tenley were going to be getting married!

The rest of the day was just totally giddy. We went back up to the room and watched a couple movies before Austin and I realized that everyone else had fallen asleep. He grins and grabs my hand, pulling me out of the door of the hotel room and across the hall to his own, locking the door behind him. The room is messy, I notice. Typical boys.

He goes and plops down on what I assume to be his bed. "Come lay down," he says, "we haven't talked like this in a while."

I blush and join him. We talk for about an hour, giggling and smiling. Austin often interrupted me to plant a kiss on my lips. He was perfect.

"I can't wait til we're both out of college and we can be like Ian and Tenley." He whispers with a smile. I smile back. Even though Ian and Tenley weren't out of college yet, they were together pretty much every day, and I once heard Austin say that they shared an apartment now.

When it's beginning to get late, I hear a knock on the door. I know it's time for me to go to bed anyway, so I hug and kiss Austin quickly before going to let Ian and Dez in to the room and returning to my own. Tenley and Trish are already asleep.

The next four days fly by. Our trip to New York becomes more spectacular every day, touring historical places and just having fun. W even climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty and went to see a concert or two. Austin and I become closer than ever, having longer conversations and hugging and kissing more often. I'm almost dreading returning to Miami. The day for the plane ride home has arrived, though.

I'm packing up my things when Austin comes in and tells us we need to leave now so that we can make it to the airport on time. I do a double-check through the room, mking absolutely sure I had everything, especially my Book. I say one last goodbye to the room before shutting the door and hurrying to catch up with the others down the hall.

We just barely make the plane, and scurry on to put our bags above our heads and our carry-ons below our feet. Austin is out of my sight again, and I sigh and sit back. Luckily, there is only some little old lady sitting next to me this time, knitting a scarf. She carries on conversations with me absent mindedly the whole way back.

I step off the plane, back in Miami. I can't wait to tell my dad everything that has happened this weekend. I place a hand on my chest, reminiscing. I feel Austin's arm wrap around my waist as we head towards the baggage claim.

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**A/N** _I hope you all liked it. :D Took me FOREVER to write! I'm sorry I only fully covered three days, but I tried to fit all the important stuff in close together. **Review, favorite, and follow!** Thank you so much for being patient. Much love to you all. :)_

**Shoutout to ausllyraura33 for your support!**


	47. Home & Hope

**A/N** _Hey guys! Hope you all are enjoying the final chapters of the story. :) Six more to go, then I will start writing the sequel probably around the start of June when I get out of school... I will release the name of the sequel / more details about the sequel in chapter 45 (the next chapter). However, I will tell you that I plan on it being about 25 chapters long. Maybe 30. Tell me in a review what you would like to see in the sequel. :) Thanks!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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"Good to be back home, but I'll miss it." I sigh as I put my bags down in my bedroom floor. Austin crosses the room and lays across my bed. He had driven me home. Dad still hadn't arrived, and I was eagerly waiting for him to get back from work.

It was nearing the end of June now, and the summer of Miami was as hot as ever. I definitely missed that cool New York breeze. I stand on my bed and reach for the string attached to my ceiling fan, pulling it twice and turning it on to full speed. I try not to step on Austin in the process, who has no intention from moving from under my feet. He smirks at me, and I roll my eyes, joining him on the bed.

"I can't wait to tell dad and mom about this!" I say with a sigh, realizing once again with a flutter of my heart that I had been given a full scholarship to MUNY. Austin nods, with a smile. "I still haven't met your mom. When is she coming home?"

I frowned. "She promised to be home when I left for college..." I murmur,  
"It'll be a little over a year before I get to see her. But, I'll video call her tonight to tell her. You can talk to her with me, if you want."

He nods eagerly. "That would be awesome. Is she nice?"

"Yeah, she's greatest person I know." I reply with a grin.

We wait eagerly for an hour before I finally hear my dad walk through the front door and call "Ally?" I sprint out of my room and down the stairs and tackle him with a hug. He laughs and hugs me tight. "I missed you so much!" He exclaims, "How was it?"

I jump up and down in place, and I say, "Dad! The headmaster of MUNY offered me a scholarship to attend college there!"

His eyes get huge, then he laughs, smiles, and hugs me once more. "That's amazing, Ally! I'm so proud! But... how?"

I tell him the whole story. From leaving my Book on the bench, to getting the news. He's smiling the whole time, and I eventually feel Austin's arm slip around my waist. Dad smiles at him and shakes his hand. "Good to have you both back home. Ally, you need to call your mother and tell her."

I nod. "Actually, Austin and I were going to video call her later." I explain, and dad just shrugs. "Either way, I'm sure she will be just as excited I am! It was actually a good thing that you left your Book on that bench. I'm going to go make some dinner."

He exits to the kitchen, and Austin and I plop down on the couch.

"I'm gonna miss you." Austin sighs, laying his head on my shoulder and taking my hand, tracing little circles on my palm with him thumb. "I'm going to miss you, too." I whimper. "We'll all have to meet up every chance we can get."

Ian and Tenley were hoping to be married in the fall when it would be a little bit cooler in California. Preferably October, and I would definitely be traveling out there for that. I was beyond excited for the chance to go to California.

"Ally..." Austin says quietly, not looking me in the eyes. "Will we ever be getting married? When we finish college?"

I wanted to so bad. But, it would be at least five years before we finished college. And, that was, after all, a long time. I wanted to keep him, but when we would only be seeing each other once or twice a year, was it possible? What if things changed between us? What if he found someone else? What if I found someone else? There were so many things that could go wrong. But, when I looked at that promise ring on my finger, I felt like we could make it through anything.

"Of course." I whisper back, and he finally meets my eyes and smiles.

After dinner, Austin and I video called my mom.

"Ally! And... Is this Austin?" She says with a grin on the screen. I nod. "Yeah! This is him!"

"Hi, Ally's mom!" He says with an enthusiastic wave. She chuckles and waves back.

"So," she says, "how was New York?"

I grin as I tell the story once more. By the end of it, mom is clapping excitedly. "Oh, Ally, that's wonderful! Congradulations!"

I really just wanted to hug my mother at that point, but I knew with her being in Africa and me being in the United States, that wasn't going to be happening any time soon.

We held conversation for a while before she said she needed to get going to feed the monkeys, so I closed the laptop after saying my goodbyes.

"Wow," Austin says, "she is nice."

I nod, and wrap my arms around him, breathing in his scent. "So," I say, "remember how I was gonna write that song in New York, but I never got the chance to?" It was true that I had actually had some lyrics built up in my head before my Book was lost.

He nods curiously, and I grin.

"Well... I want to write it now. With you."

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**A/N** _Sorry that it's so short! The next chapter will be all about their last song together, and it will be a lot longer. Thanks. :) **Review, favorite, and follow!**_


	48. Last Songs & Late Nights

**A/N: **_Hey guys! I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating very fast. I'm having a lot of writer's block, and I'm also beyong excited for the start of my next story. :) Of course, I promised you details for the new story in this A/N so, here goes nothing!  
The story TITLE is "I Was Already Gone". :) This could change, but I doubt it will. It is, of course, based on a song. Figure out which one it is. ;)  
The story TIMEZONE is ten whole years after the end of this story. Woooah.  
One more thing I will release. The story will be in both Austin and Ally's point-of-view instead of just Ally's.  
The first chapter will be released sometime in June. But, until then, enjoy the final chapters of this story. :)_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also don't own "You're Gonna Miss Me" by Lulu and the Lampshades, nor am I assosciated with Lulu and the Lampshades._

* * *

Austin and I were in the practice room. I knew this would be the last song we wrote together for a long time. I figured I might as well stop worrying and write one more with him while I could.

"Okay," I said with a smile, popping my fingers, "most of our songs are so long. We should make this one shorter. And, from a girl's point-of-view. Nearly all of ours are from a guy's."

He chuckles and nods.

"Okay, here are the first few lines I have written..."

I place my fingers on the piano and play, then follow up with the lyrics.

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round,  
Two bottles of whiskey for the way.  
And I sure would like some sweet company,  
And I'm leaving tomorrow,  
What do you say?_

I stopped and glanced at him, and he smiles. "I feel like this is sort of a departing song for us, isn't it?" I realize his smile is a weak one.

I stare at my fingers, still placed on this piano keys. I wasn't really sure what I was thinking of when I was writing, but I guess it does kind of sound like someone is leaving.

"Yeah..." I whisper, "I guess it is."

He nods. "Thought so. Well, let's write some more lyrics."  
We sit in silence for a few minutes while Austin tries out some new tunes on the piano keys. Finally, he finds a fitting rhythem. He takes a deep breath.

_When I'm gone,  
When I'm gone._

I look at him and he looks at me. Almost like magic, I effortlessly copy his rhythem on the keys, and lyrics pour out of my head.

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.  
You're gonna miss me by my hair,  
You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh,  
You know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone._

He grins at me. "I think we have a chorus." I smirk at him. "I think so, too."  
"I like the way this is going. Let's make the rest of it similar."  
I nod, and begin playing the same tune as we had in the first verse.

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round,  
The one with the prettiest of views._

He picks it up, and looks thoughtful only for a moment before continuing.

_It's got mountains,  
It's got rivers,  
It's got sights that give you shivers,  
But it sure would be prettier with you._

He winks at me and takes his hands off the keys. "That's the next verse. The only thing we should do after that is the chorus again."  
I nodded in agreement. We had decided to make it short, after all. "Let's change it up some, though. Like this..." I begin playing the chorus rhythem again, and he begins tapping his foot and nodding his head. I grin.

_When I'm gone,  
When I'm gone.  
You're gonna miss me when I'm gone.  
You're gonna miss me by my walk,  
You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh,  
You know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone._

I smile at him. That was all. It was so easy. We played it over and over on the piano and sang it a lot because it was so incredibly catchy.

He hugs and kisses me over and over. "I'm so glad we got to do this again, Ally." He says happily. "I'm so sorry I said we were growing apart when we were in New York. I really am."

I shake my head. "Don't worry, Austin. I really will miss you when you're gone."  
He smiles only for a moment before it falls in to a frown. He takes my hand.

"When I finish college, you'll still have one year left. But we'll be fine. We'll come back to Miami. We'll get married. Hell, we don't even have to stay in Miami. I'll go wherever you want to go. But, it is going to be hard, Ally. I think we can make it, though."

I lay my head on his shoulder. I love this boy so much.

He rubs my back and hums to himself. I wish I could sit here by him on this piano bench for a long, long time. Of course, though, too soon, his cell phone rings. It's Ian. He needs Austin to come over to look at some wedding plans for him and Tenley. Austin was the best man, after all, and they wanted his opinion. Tenley's maid of honor was her older sister from California whom I had never met. He pulls me in for a long kiss, cups my chin, smiles at me, rises from the bench, and leaves.

And then I begin to cry.

The reality of everything crashes down on me. In a month or so, Austin would leave me. And then I would leave Trish. And we would all be seperated from different angles of the country.

After about ten minutes of being curled up on the piano bench sobbing, I wipe down my face and decide to stop crying.

What could I do the rest of the day? I look around the room, and my eyes lay on the recording mic. I would record our last song.

I set up all the equipment, then set up the mic on the piano. It takes a few trials to finalize it until I get the recording perfect. I go over the audio on the computer a few times before saving it and burning it on a CD. I add it to my "Austin & Ally Songs" collection, where I kept each of our seperate recordings on their own CD.

By now, it's getting pretty late. The sun is beginning to set, and I hear my dad lock up the store downstairs. "Ally," he calls, "I'm heading home."

"Okay." I call back, sitting down on the couch. I'm just not ready to head out yet.  
I decide to listen to the songs in the pile, going backwards. All the songs were in order.

I listened through each and every one. We had a little over thirteen, because Austin and I had recorded more songs than the ones on the album and the one I recorded tonight.

I got to the last song in the pile.

_Some things we don't talk about,_  
_Rather do without,_  
_And just hold the smile._

I began to get choked up once more, but I refused to cry once more. I played our first song over and over again.

You can never say never.

I eventually realized that someone was standing in the doorway. Startled, I looked up and found Austin. I smiled weakly and shut off the sound system. I cleared my throat.  
"How was it?" I asked, and he shrugged. "I'm jealous of Ian, that's for sure." When I raised an eyebrow he clarified he was jealous because he was getting married.

I motioned for him to have a seat next to me in the floor. He did, and I sighed. "Can I come spend the night?"

He nodded. "What will you tell your dad?"

"That I'm going to Trish's, I guess."

I texted Trish to tell her the plan, then called dad. We headed to Austin's house in his Mustang, where all the lights were off, meaning his parents and sibling were asleep. We climbed through a window that Austin kept unlocked in one of the downstairs windows. We snuck upstairs in the dark, then locked his bedroom door.  
We cuddled on the bed in the darkness.

He curls my hair between his fingers and hums an unfamiliar melody in my ear. I'm soon fast asleep, his scent surrounding me. I finally feel comfortable.

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**A/N:**_ I chose "You're Gonna Miss Me" because most people know the song... And I love it :)__** Review, Favorite, and Follow!**__ Can't believe there's only four more chapters to write! You are all amazing. Thanks! :_)


	49. Happy Nights & Happy Days

**A/N:** _Hello, all. :) Before we begin with this chapter, I wanna tell you all about my newest fanfic. It's under the Hunger Games category, and it's called **"Things Unspoken"**. Basically, it's about Peeta and Katniss's daughter and son trying to uncover the secrets of the past and they go to extraordinary lengths to do it. First chapter is up, I'd really love it if you would all give me your feedback. :) Anywho, here's the next chapter!_

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**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

I wake up in the same position I fell asleep in. I smile, and roll over to face Austin. The sun is just rising.

He's sound asleep, making light snoring noises. His hair is all ruffled. He's so cute. I don't want to disturb him, but I can't help but to nuzzle my head under his chin. I can hear his parents getting ready for work downstairs. They had not a clue that I was here.

How did I get to where I am now? Not even a year ago, I was walking in to my first day of public school. Not even a year ago, I was attending my first real high school party. Not even a year ago, Ian had wrecked that truck. So much had happened... And it's all flown by.

Austin is beginning to stir. He tenses at first, then softens. I suppose he didn't realize I was still here. "Goodmorning, beautiful." He whispers, kissing my forehead. I smile at him.

We don't move until the house is quiet about thirty minutes later, and we're positive his parents are gone. We slip out of his bed and unlock his door, heading down the hall. Ian's door is still shut tight, he hasn't stirred yet.

Austin makes himself pancakes, and I eat an apple. "What are we gonna do today?" I ask him, sitting on the counter. He shrugs. "What do you want to do?"

I bite my lip. We've done so many fun things this summer, nothing seems exciting anymore. To me, just hanging around here with him, just the two of us, would be fun. I express my idea with him, and he nods with a smile. "Sounds fun." He says, placing two fluffy pancakes on a plate for him. I bite in to my apple, and wipe away some juice that was trickling down my chin.

Ian comes down the stairs a few minutes later. The only thing he has on is his boxers, and his sandy blonde hair is sticking up everywhere. His eyes get wide when he spots me, and he clears his throat. "Umm... I'll be right back."

Ian calmly walks back up the stairs. I giggle, and Austin winks at me. It was the first time I had ever seen Ian like that.

He returns, fully clothed, his hair flattened down. His blue eyes still look dull and tired, though. He grabs an apple out of the fruit bowl, just as I had. "Goodmorning." He sighs, sitting down at the table with Austin.

Austin raises his eyebrows. "You look tired, bro." He comments, and Ian scoffs. "I'm stressed, Austin. I've been doing wedding plans like crazy, and Tenley and I have to be back home a week from today, which means I need flight arrangements..." He sighs and shakes his head. It's almost amazing how much Ian has grown up since the beginning of my junior year. He got so lucky with Tenley. It would be next to impossible to find a girl as perfect as her after you've been accused of murder.

"I'll be down there a little less than a month from now. You'll have to show me around Beverly Hills and Hollywood and whatnot." Austin says, taking another bite of his pancakes. Ian just nods, finishing off his apple. Half of mine is still left.

"Ally and I are gonna hang out here today. What are you and Tenley gonna do?" Austin asks, and Ian shrugs. "We'll probably go down to The Pier and hangout or something." Austin nods. I smile.

Ian is out of the house within an hour, and Austin and I curl up on the couch. I've decided that I just need to enjoy the time I have left with him. No more crying. No more tears. The present is a gift, and when it's gone... You never get it back again.

"Ally..." He says with a sigh, "When I get my first tour- well, if, I guess- I want you to come with me. You know that, right?"

I nod.

I could see it. In a year or two, Austin and I traveling the U.S. and having shows. Austin would be famous. And then we'd get married, and I'd be famous... Okay, maybe I'm blowing this out of proportion, but still.

We spent the day cuddling, watching movies, playing video games, and singing. We just enjoyed ourselves. Sometimes I felt like Austin and I were in "puppy love"... But I knew better. What we had was real. I've never hd a crush before Austin, besides the occasional hertbeat popstar. I didn't really even know what it was like the have a crush. But yet, somehow, I knew Austin wasn't just a crush. And by the way he looked at me, and hugged me, and held my hand, I knew that he felt the same way. I felt like we were insperable.

His parents arrived later on, and were surprised to see me. "When did you get here?" Asked Austin's mom as she hung her car keys on the wall hook. "She got here around noon. She was bored at home, so I invited her over." Austin lies. He's good at lying, though. I suppose that's not really a good thing, though.

Austin's mom just nods, and Austin's dad sits in his recliner as he always does when he gets home. "Can't believe you're going off to the real world, too, Austin." He sighs. "But, I'm proud of you, son. You're gonna make a real good living with that talent of yours."

I see Austin's cheeks get red as he says "Thanks, dad."

After eating dinner with the Moons, I know I should be getting home. My own father hasn't seen me in over a day. Austin drives me home, and hugs me tight on my front porch just as some rain begins to fall, first slow, then fast.

"Had a great time with you today, Ally." He says to me with a smile. He bends down and kisses me softly, squeezes my hand, and begins to walk away.

I don't know what makes me do it, but I step off the porch after him, and grab his shoulder. "Wait!" I breathe. He turns around questioningly, water droplets falling off his platinum hair.

"Kiss me again." I murmur.

He smiles and bends down, his lips touching mine. He wraps his arms around my back, and kisses me passionatley. He pulls back after a minute or so and looks me in the eyes. "I love you." He murmurs.

I smile. "I love you too."

I let him leave, and walk in to my own house, dripping wet.

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**A/N:** _Hope you guys thought it was a cute chapter. :) Sorry it's short! Don't forget to **review, favorite, and follow!** And check out my new story,** "Things Unspoken"**!_


	50. Gone Again & Gifts

**A/N:**_ I can't believe I only have three more chapters to write! I'll make them the best I can. :) Also, if you haven't read the first chapter of my latest fanfic "Things Unspoken" yet, and you're a Hunger Games fan, go do it! :D I have yet to receive a review, and I plan on posting the second chapter really soon. Thanks so much for sticking with me through this entire story, guys. You're all amazing, dedicated readers. :') Much love._

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

Ian's eyes are sad yet excited as he carries his and Tenley's last bags out the door and piles them in to the car. Tenley is busy embracing me, tears in her eyes. "I'm so blessed to have gotten to meet you, Ally. I hope you come for the wedding and be a bridesmaid." She sniffs, holding back tears. I nod in to her shoulder. "Ditto." I murmur.

Tenley moves to Austin, and Ian moves to me, wrapping me in a hug just as Tenley had done moments before. "Well, Ally..." He sighs, "Goodbye, again. I hope to see you real soon." He pulls back, giving me a genuine smile. I return it. "Of course." I reply.

Tenley is now having a conversation with Austin and Ian's parents, and Ian and Austin are saying their goodbyes with say eyes. "I know... Wedding... See... Soon." Were the only words I could catch from Austin's mouth. Ian was talking to quietly. Not in a secretive kind of way, just in that quiet voice he often has.

Trish and Dez said their goodbyes last night to the couple, when they had come over for their "going away" party. It was a happy time, of course, but sadness hung over our heads like a dark cloud. It was depressing to see the two go. They could always lighten a mood, especially Tenley. I knew we would see them in a year or two for the wedding.

We all watched Ian opened the passenger door for Tenley, she climbed in, he shut her door. He then proceeded to go to the driver's side, wave to us one last time, and climb in himself. Tenley waved as they backed out the driveway. My heart sank as they went around the corner, out of my sight.

I leaned on Austin's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around me. His expression was blank. He shouldn't be so upset, though. Him and his brother will soon be reunited, in about three weeks. And I'll be left here in Miami.

No, I tell myself, I'm not being sad anymore. I already established that about a week ago. The present is a gift, I repeated to myself. The present is a gift.

To get rid of the melancholy mood, Austin and I go out for ice cream. Once we're seated , Austin sighs and taps his fingers on the table. I place my hand in my chin. "What's up?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "It's just that... I'm going to California in just three weeks, and... Well, you saw how hard it was for Ian and Tenley to say goodbye... I have no idea how I will cope. Because, they have each other. I'm going to be the third wheel the next four years of my life."

I swallowed. A part of me wanted to say to him, it's okay if you need to forget about me, and go over there and find you someone new, because I know this will be unbearable. But, me being my selfish self, know that there's no other boy in Miami I want. I have to live here for another year, and if I don't have Austin to cling on to, even if he's three thousand miles away, I don't know how I'll manage.

I just nod instead. He sighs. "I'll just have to find a friend over there, I guess." I agree with him, and we talk about other things the rest of time time we're at the ice cream shop, avoiding that conversation.

We walk out, holding hands, laughing. We instinctively begin walking the block to the beach. The sun is beginning to set. We kick off our shoes and carry them in our hands as we walk in the sand, still hand in hand.

"I'm so glad that we've been able to keep our relationship... Well, respectable." Austin says out of nowhere. I raise my eyebrows at him questioningly. He shrugs. "I guess I'm trying to say... I'm glad we were never 'active' so to speak."

I'm shocked by Austin's words, but I just nod. I can honestly say I've not wanted, as long as we've been dating, to have that kind of relationship with him. I just wasn't ready for it, and I honestly didn't believe he was either. Sure, he'd done the deed before, but if was while he wasn't in his right mind, and from what I've heard, he regrets it with all he's worth.

I didn't want to lose my virginity until after marriage. First of all, it's just my personal beliefs. Second, I want it to be with the right person.

We find a cozy spot in the sand as the sky begins to turn different shades of orange, pink, and red. I put my head on his shoulder and he wraps his arm around my waist. The way he's sitting, his shirt comes up a little near his waistband, and I can just begin to make out the A on his tattoo.

Long after it's dark, we're still sitting in the same position, chatting away. It's starting to get cold, though, so we stand up and brush off the sand that is clinging to our clothing and legs. We begin walking back the way we came.

He's humming "Never Say Never" under his breath. It's barely audible, but I would know that song anywhere. I smile, and squeeze his hand a little bit. He winks at me.

I don't know how, after all these months, I'm still able to remember that the first sign of flirting Austin gave to me was a wink. Just a simple, quick one. Yet, I knew he was flirting, nonetheless. It was when I was getting out of his car, when he dropped me off for the first time at my house after the party that night. Well... I begin to wonder if he could have been flirting when he pulled me in to the ocean, too? Or when he grabbed my hand to pull me to safety when we were running from the cops? Maybe Austin has genuinely cared for me from the moment he first met me. Though the chances are slim, I grasp to the hope. Maybe he'll still genuinely care for me five years from now.

By the time we reach Austin's car, the moon is risen and full. "Wanna go for a drive?" He asks, and I nod. I want to spend every precious moment with him that I can. The present is a gift.

I'm not too surprised when he starts taking the route to our bonfire location, where the cops came that night of the party and everything. During the drive, we sit in comfortable silence. Once there, he turns off the car, and steps out. I follow suit. We won't need a flashlight, the moon illuminates the entire beach. I can even see the waves lapping the shore from here. Austin puts on a jacket, and wraps an extra one around my shoulders for warmth. I smile at him in thanks.

Where I stand, I can remember what it looked like almost a year before, the first time I stepped out of Trish's car. Teenagers strewn everywhere, the sound of an acoustic playing, the fire out on the sand. It seemed so different now, with no one on the sand, only the sound of the light wind and the water, and some burnt out logs where the fire once burned.

We gently walk down the bank, and we find ourselves in the sand for the second time tonight. We lay down, gazing at the stars. The stars weren't often visible in Miami, thanks to all the city lights. Out here was about as rural as it got.

"I know it's crazy," Austin sighs, "but I actually thought I may propose to you before I left for California, just so I could know you were mine."

I swallow hard. As much as I'm flattered, he knew I would never accept at this age, no matter how much I loved him. And he knew as well as I did that my parents would certainly be apposed. Maybe that's why he said it was crazy though.

I just giggle lightly. "You were right. It's a tad crazy."

He nods, chuckling. "Maybe you'll still be mine when I see you again. I know there will be plenty of guys after you when I'm gone."

I, personally, think he's crazy. I don't know what he sees in me. I never will. I don't find myself ugly in any way. I actually find myself beautiful, physically. But I have so many emotional flaws. I'm so awkward, I'm a terrible liar, I laugh too loud, and the list goes on. But, whatever he saw in me, I appreciated it. I really did.

"You're the one to worry about." I murmur. I think he knows as well as everyone that he is attractive and certainly a heartbeat. If he weren't, Leah wouldn't have gone to such crazy extents to win him over from me.

He snorts. "You have nothing to worry about, Ally. I'm not going anywhere. If one of us were to leave the other, it would be you leaving me, and that's a fact. I'm not saying you will, and I certainly hope you won't, but I just know that you're the one for me."

I blush in the darkness. "I don't see myself going anywhere, Austin."

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**A/N:** _This was a fun chapter to write, I'll admit. :) I'm sorry that Ian and Tenley had to leave for the last three chapters. :( Sad, sad, sad! There's actually some foreshadowing in this chapter. Leave me a review when you **review, favorite, and follow** to tell me where you think it is? Hint: It is a foreshadowing for the sequel. ;) Thanks everyone!_


	51. Pedicures & Playful Manners

**A/N: **_Back with a new chapter! Sorry it's so short. :/ It was indeed a very enjoyable one to write, though. :) It kind of brings out just how close these group of teenagers are. Enjoy these final chapters, guys. Pay real close attention. The sequel will be much, much, much different (in terms of the characters). They will be a lot more... "Grown up" so to speak. So enjoy this last bit of childishness you get to see out of them. :) Much love for my viewers._

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_**DISCLAIMER:**__ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

* * *

Trish is giving me a pedicure at the new nail salon she works at. We're talking about girly things, per usual. I can't help but notice what a terrible paint job she's doing on my toenails, but I don't say anything.

"So, Ally..." Trish says, trying to open the topcoat bottle, "How do you think you're going to manage Austin leaving? That's really gonna suck."

"I know." I groan, "I can't believe he'll be gone in just a week and a half. I don't know how I'm going to cope."

She sighs, finally getting the bottle opened. "I swear I've never seen a couple as close as you two in just high school. I knew it was going to happen all along, but whatever." She shrugs.

I giggle. "I'm glad I attended public school. Even if I'm going to be heartbroken while I'm waiting for him the next five years of my life, it's been worth it." I smile weakly.

She raises her eyebrows at me. "Ally, do you really think you won't see him for five years straight? Of course you will! There will be summer breaks, and I'm sure you'll see him every one of those! Not to mention he might get a record deal and go on tour. Won't he want you to go with him?"

I nod, remembering what Austin had told me about making sure I come on tours with him. "Yeah, but still, Trish. He's going to be so busy, and so will I. I'm sure I'm just overreacting and I'm sure you're right... I hope so, anyways."

She just shrugs, dropping the conversation. After my horrible pedicure is finally over, Trish and I leave, even though she still has an hour left on her shift. Austin and Dez were out working for some people in my neighborhood today, believe it or not. Mowing yards, weed-eating and whatnot. I feel sorry for them, because today is one of the hottest, most humid days of the summer.

I had brought Trish to work today, so she got in the car with me. We made our way to a coffee shop, where we ordered Frappe's and then made our way back to my house. Dad wasn't home, he was working. We went up to my room and found something interesting on the television before making ourselves comfortable and slurping on our drinks.

"I miss Ian." Trish whimpers. I look at her funny, and she does the same to me. "What? He's hot." She protests, and I burst out laughing. Typical Trish. True, Ian was incredibly attractive, but as of late I've always just viewed him as my brother. Trish throws a pillow at me, laughing too. "Stop!" She gasps, trying to catch her breath. "You know it's true!"

Once we finally calm down, we continue our actions from before. A few minutes later, a large crack of thunder is heard through my open window, startling us. Not soon after, the rain begins to fall.

I get up and close my window, grumbling. I hated the rain, and especially thunderstorms. Trish seems completely unphased by it, though, as she takes the last sip of her drink, then throws her cup across the room, missing my trashcan.

"Trish!" I grumble, crossing the room and putting the cup in to the trashcan myself. She shrugs.

The storm continues, and we chat about a new movie that should be coming out soon that we should definitely go see. In the midst of our conversation, I hear my front door open and close. I figure it's probably my dad, but once I glance at my clock, I realize that he won't be off work for another two hours. Confused, I don't have time to think before a soaking wet Austin and Dez come sprinting through my door.

I screech and Austin tackles me, laughing. "Ew!" I screech, also laughing, "Get off!" His soaking wet clothes were seeping through my own clothes and down to my skin.

He retreats, and I groan, because I'll have to change my clothes. I just look them up and down as they just stand there, nonchalantly dripping water on to my hardwood floors. I shew them in to the bathroom and dig my hairdryer out of my cabinet. "Here!" I huff, handing it to them. "I know it won't be much help, but just wring out your clothes in the sink or something... Anything." I close the door and head to my closet to find something to change in to. Trish is still laughing about the incident. Okay, so, it was pretty funny.

"They must have gotten caught in the rain while working." Trish observes, listening to the sound of the hairdryer in my bathroom, and Austin and Dez's laughs. I nod, slipping a new tee shirt over my head and depositing the other one in my dirty clothes basket.

After about twenty minutes, Austin and Dez emerge from my bathroom. Their hair is dry, and they've left their nasty shoes in my bathroom, but their clothes are still damp. I lay a towel across my floor for them to sit on.

"The funny part is," Dez says between laughs, "we tried climbing that ladder we have that leads up to your window, but it was closed, so we had to make our way to the front door. I can't believe you guys didn't spot us trying to open that window!" Austin is laughing right along with him, and Trish and I are too, just not as hard.

Days like today are the days that I will truly cherish. No matter what happens between Trish, Dez, Austin, and I... I will always remember the memories I've shared with them. The best year of my life, by far. I've taken chances. I've gotten in to some tough situations. I've learned about the good times and the bad. As I sit here, with the best friends a girl could ever ask for, and Austin gazing at me lovingly, I never want it to end. Maybe this is just the first chapter of our story. Our lives together will always be difficult at times, I'm sure.

Austin reads the emotions on my face and he leans forward to whisper in my ear. "Stop worrying," he murmurs, "and enjoy the remaining time we have together."

And that's exactly what I'm going to do... Because it's all I can do.

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**A/N: **_Don't forget to **review, favorite, and follow!** Once more, sorry it is so incredibly short. D: I'm ashamed, but when I got to where the ending is I felt like it was the perfect place to stop, regardless of length._

_What do you expect to happen in the final two chapters? Tell me in a** review!**_


	52. The Tables Turned & The Last Days

**A/N:** _Second to last chapter! Wow... How did it go by so fast, guys? I honestly can't believe I stuck to it all the way through (well, I still have one more chapter left, but, you know), I couldn't have done it without you guys! Thanks so much to all of you who have recommended this story to your friends and what not. At times I feel like the luckiest writer on this site, because I feel like I have the best viewers. :) Thanks you so much. Really hope you enjoy Chapter 49!_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray._

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Three more days.

That's how much time we had left together, and my own school would be starting again in about two weeks.

I was laying across his bed now, my chin in my hands, my feet hanging in the air, as I watched him begin to unload his drawers and closet. He threw all his clothes in to a messy pile, promising he would fold them before putting them in the suitcase.

"Need any help?" I asked him as he shut up another drawer and threw it's contents behind him. He looks back at me, and smiles weakly. "No. Thanks, though." He replies, and opens another drawer.

I sigh and study the floor. I felt almost as if I was just in the way, even though he had asked me to come over and keep him company while he began his packing. He worked sloppily, and I have no idea why he started on the clothes. He could have began by packing up things like decorations that he was wanting to take with him to his dorm room, but once I arrived, half of his closet was already on his floor.

Out of nowhere, he slammed the drawer shut and buried his face in his hands. The room was quiet. I was unsure what to do, but after he didn't move after about a minute I slowly crawled off of his bed and into the floor with him.

I gently placed a hand on his knee, and he didn't budge. "Austin?" I whimpered, and he finally glanced up at me. There was no emotion on his face.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" I whispered. He sighed and wrapped one arm around my side, putting his own head against mine. "I don't know." He admits, "I guess I'm just getting a dose of reality."

I nodded, sucking in a deep breath. "Finally realizing you're going to be three thousand miles away from home?"

He was still for a moment, and then he shook his head. "No," he admits, "finally realizing that I'm going to be three thousand miles away from you."

I swallow hard, and he sighs. "I don't know if I can make it without you, Ally. You're my songwriter, my girlfriend... Pretty much my life. I'm just not sure anymore whether it would be worth chasing my dreams without you by my side."

I shake my head quickly and make him look me in the eyes. My voice doesn't falter as I speak. "Don't say that. You are an amazing, talented musician. You can't count on me to help you in your career. I can't go with you. I just can't. I want you to go over there and show them all who you are. I want you to follow your dreams. And one day, we'll be together again, writing songs just like we used to. For now, though... You have to make it on your own."

He stared at me a moment, then nodded solemnly. "I know." He whispered.

I hugged him as tight as I could. "I love you." I said, then I pecked him on the cheek and stood up. He kept his place in the floor as I made my way toward his clothes pile, and began folding.

Once he realized what I was doing, he shook his head. "You don't need to do that." He murmurs, and I nod. "I want to." He sighs, and opens the drawer that he slammed earlier back up and continued to dig out clothes.

After about three hours, we had all the clothes folded neatly in his floor. "Why did we do this first? You know you're gonna have to put on different clothes within the next three days." I giggle, and he shrugs. I had finally cheered him up some. "I don't know," he responds, "I didn't really know what to do or where to start. I didn't want to."

His shoulders droop again, and I decide it's time for him to take a break. "Let's go out for lunch." I suggest, and he looks hesitant before nodding. We would still have plenty of time to pack up when we got finished and came back to his house. We waved to his parents as we stepped out the front door.

We went to Mini's, his favorite place in the mall. He still seemed a bit down, and I couldn't stand it. It was as if, when I was finally deciding to enjoy the rest of the time we had together, he was going to start acting like I was.

"Austin, stop worrying and enjoy the remaining time we have together." I whisper, echoing his words from about a week ago. He raises his eyes and studies me, before a smile breaks across his face. "I'm trying." He admits, "I really am."

I took his hand, and sighed. "What can make you happy?" I whimpered. He took no time to answer "You coming with me."

I purse my lips, because he knows I can't. We've already been over this. He released my hand, and runs his own hand through his hair. "I'm losing you... And it's effortless."

My breath catches in my throat. "Austin, you're not going to lose me. I'll be your guardian when all is crumbling, I'll steady your hands."

He grins at the familiar lyrics that escaped my lips.

"Do you realize we're not even officially together, Ally?" He mutters, and I look at him confused. "You don't remember? We had to 'break up' so that Leah would leave us alone. We may act like we're together and we're boyfriend and girlfriend, but we're not. We haven't been for a long time." He just shakes his head sadly.

I had honestly forgotten all about wht had happened with Leah. She was the least of my worries these days. "Why don't we start now, then?" I ask him, and he shrugs. "I'm leaving in two days, Ally. There's no point."

Although I'm hurt by his words, I know he's right. There wouldn't be any point being official boyfriend and girlfriend when we were three thousand miles away from each other. We had been functioning fine like we were, anyway. I had been thinking of him as my boyfriend for some time, now.

I stand up, and he looks at me questioningly. "I'm going to go home." I tell him. I needed some time to think.

"Oh... Okay." He says. I'm hurt once more when he doesn't make an attempt to hug me, or kiss me, or to even tell me he loves me.

I walk on, and I'm not actually going home. I couldn't go home anyway, because I had left my car at Austin's. I'm going to Sonic Boom, because dad would be there, and I could help him out for a few hours.

I walk through the doors, and he's surprised to see me, and I think even more surprised to see me without Austin by my side. "Hey, Alls... Everything alright?"

I nod quickly, and take my seat behind the counter. "Thought I would just come by and help out for a while."

He stares at me for a moment before nodding, and heading towards the door. "Well, it's free sample time, so... Have fun!" He waves behind him as he leaves, and I can't help but smile. Typical Lester Dawson.

I text Trish for her to come over so we can talk. About all... This. Austin has acted so weird today. She works at a store in the mall, so she's there within minutes, in uniform. She leans against the counter. "What's up?"

"Well... I went over to help Austin start packing up this morning and he just acted really upset and stuff... So after a few hours we went out to lunch and he's just being alost irritable about leaving. And he mentioned that we weren't even official boyfriend and girlfriend... So I told him maybe we should start now, and he said there wasn't any point. So I told him I was coming here and he didn't even hug or kiss me."

She's just staring at me when I finish talking. "Well, he sounds like he's being a bit jerkish today, huh?"

I nod.

"Listen, Ally... The best way to let Austin get over something is to leave him alone for a while and let him burn it out. Trust me, I've known him a long time."

"But, Trish, he's going to be gone in just a little over two days-"

"Ally, I really need to get back to work... As much as I don't want to. Please just don't worry. Austin loves you, I know that. He'll figure everything out. He just needs time." She flashes me a smile, and I smile back at her. "Thanks, Trish." I tell her, and she nods before leaving.

I work the rest of the day, because dad never returned to the store. I'm not surprised, and I honestly don't blame him. I've kind of abandoned him with the store this summer, even if he's excused me from working a lot. I call him to come pick me up after I close up the store, and he's there within minutes, saying that he's sorry and he had a terrible migraine. I just smile.

I crawl in bed with the window open, because my room is incredibly stuffy from the Miami summer air. I'm nearly asleep when I hear a voice.

"Ally, are you awake... Ally?"

I sit up in bed really fast, and my eyes linger towards the window, where the voice came from. "Austin?" I hiss, "It's late."

He climbs in and sits on the bed with me in the darkness. He wraps his arms around me, and I don't protest, because I've missed his touch. "I know." He murmurs.

He just sits there holding me for a few minutes, before I finally start becoming impatient. "Why did you come?" I murmur.

"I'm so sorry about how I acted earlier. It's just that... You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't know how I'm going to survive over there without you with me. I'm not asking you to come with me, I know you can't. It's just that I'm finally realizing how hard it's going to be without you. I'm just going to miss you."

He kisses me passionatley, and I wrap my arms around his neck. "I know, Austin..." I whisper sadly, "I'm going to miss you too."

He stays with me the rest of the night, cuddled up to me. With only two days left of him being in Miami, I wish we could just stay like this for the rest of the time, but when the next morning comes, and his parents call him wondering where he is because he has a whole hell of a lot of packing to do, I know we can't.

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**A/N:** _One more chapter left! D: Ahh so sad! Don't worry everyone, I'll make sure to make it a good one! AND ANOTHER THING! I will be giving out information on the sequel at the end of the next chapter! Yay!_

**_Don't forget to review, favorite, and follow!_**

**Q&A: How do you expect Austin and Ally's goodbye to happen? Tell me in a review!**


	53. Last Days & Loving Goodbyes

**A/N:** _Last chapter, guys. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FAST I WROTE IT. I just couldn't wait any longer. First of all, check the A/N at the end of the chapter for information on the sequel. Lastly, thank you all so much for the amazing support and reviews. I love you all so much and I'm so happy with how successful this story has become. :) I love writing, and you all make it very enjoyable for me. I really hope you all enjoy the last chapter. Thank you!_

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**DISCLAIMER:**_ I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian, Leah and Tenley. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also don't own "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction._

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"What?" I hiss to Austin over the phone while I hurry to get my Converse on my feet, "You already finished packing? I promised I would come help you!"

"I know!" He groaned, "But I couldn't sleep last night and I had nothing better to do. It's okay, because now we have more time to spend together before I have to leave tonight."

Yes, it's true... It was mine and Austin's last day together in Miami. He would be leaving tonight at eight, and boarding a plane at eleven... He would be in California by tomorrow, three thousand miles from his home, from his family, from his friends... And from me.

"You're right." I sigh, finally tying the last knot in my shoelaces, "Come pick me up, then."

"I'm on it." He says before hanging up the phone.

I lay back down on my bed. I was awake at six in the morning, which wasn't rare for me, but it definitely was for Austin. Everything felt surreal... Austin couldn't be leaving me tonight. He just couldn't... And yet, I knew he was.

Trish, Dez, Austin and I were going to our private area on the beach for our last day together. I was dressed in a purple tank top, short denim shorts, black Converse, and a black headband in my curled hair. I wanted to look nice. I wanted to remember his last moments with me. It wasn't really our last moments, though, was it...? I hope not... No one even understands how much I hope not.

I hear a car horn honking out in my driveway, so I grab my drawstring bag that has all my beach stuff and a bikini in it before I head out the door.

I climb in to Austin's car with him, where he says "Hey, Alls." as we back out the driveway. "Dez and Trish are on their way there already. We're gonna have a great time."

I smile and nod, knowing he's right. We always had a great time at the beach, with no one else around... Just us. Best friends.

We're hit with a lovely surprise as "Little Things" begins playing on the radio. Austin grins and cranks it up to max volume, which is pretty dang loud. I smile and laugh at how far this boy and I have come since the day I met him... In fact, the first day I met him was the day we decided to write together. It was meant to be from the start.

"How come you're not wearing a bathing suit?" Austin asks, and I look over to see that he is in his with a tee shirt on over it. "I brought a bikini with me. I was going to make sure everyone else brought their's, first."

Austin nods and continues driving. "It's too bad Ian and Tenley aren't here..." He pouts. I sigh. "I know."

We arrive to find that Trish and Dez have indeed beaten us there. We carefully walk down to reach them where they are sat down on towels in the sand. Dez is in a bathing suit, Trish is not.

"Trish, did you bring a bathing suit?" I ask her, and she nods. "I brought one, but didn't put it on yet because I wanted to make sure everyone else was in their's. Where's yours?"

I smile and hold up my drawstring bag. "We think so alike. Come on, let's go change up at the cars." She grins and grabs a large tote bag, and we sprint towards the bank, climbing up laughing. We're out of breath by the time we reach the top.

Once we get calmed down, we go to different sides of Trish's car to change. "You okay, Ally?" Trish asks, and I assume she's talking about it being our last day together... Mine and Austin's, that is. "Yeah." I sigh. "I'm just trying to be as happy as I can be."

Once I was changed, I got Trish to smear some sunscreen on my shoulders. "Dez and I will probably stay here for about three hours, then let you guys have the rest of the day together." Trish announces. I shake my head violently. "No, Trish, he means as much to you as he does to me, and especially Dez."

Trish stops rubbing my shoulders, even though I can tell the sunscreen is still white on my shoulders. I turn around and look at her questioningly. Her lips are pursed. "Ally," she sighs, "even if I've known Austin longer than you, even if he's like a brother to me, he'll never mean as much to me as he does to you. I'm not saying that I don't care about him, I do, a lot... But you guys have something special. And I've been taking this seperation a lot easier than you have. As for Dez... He'll be upset for a few days, but then he'll be okay. He's going to be Austin's music video director one day, Austin promised him. The excitement over that will outdo the sadness. You guys need as much time together today as you can get, because... Well, you're both pursuing your careers, and... Ally, you're going to hate me for saying this... But you may never see him again."

My breath catches in my throat. "Don't say that." I say in barely a whisper, and she just shakes her head. "I'm not saying you won't ever see each other again, but I'm saying it's a possibility. I have nothing to look forward to after college besides the normal career, and Dez knows for a fact that if and when Austin gets famous he'll be touring with him. You, though... Well, you're going to MUNY where you'll be pursuing your own music career, which means you guys will either be heading in the same direction or complete opposites."

I just nod, because I know she's right. In a way, I do hate her for saying it... But, in another way, I'm glad she said it. I don't really know why.

She finishes smearing the lotion in on my shoulders and says, "Just be happy today, Ally. Push everything you're worried about to the back of your mind and just enjoy today."

We head back down to the sand and join and shirtless Dez and Austin on the towels. Dez is laying on his belly, and it appears that he's... Asleep? Austin is cackling, digging through a beach bag.

"Austin..." I say cautiously, "What are you doing?"

He looks up at me with a huge grin. "Where's the sunblock?"

I dig it out of my own bag and throw it to him. "Here. Why?"

He heads over to Dez, opening up the bottle. "I'm going to draw on Dez's back with it. He burns really easy, so when he wakes up it'll be burnt in to his back!"

Trish busts out laughing. "That's genius!" She says, running over to join Austin. My mind wanders back to the night that Austin and I snuck in to Dez's bedroom and drew a mustache on his face. I giggle and go to join him. I'm not surprised to see that he's drawn a mustache design on to Dez's back, with the letters "AAT". I don't understand the "AAT" though.

"What does that mean?" I ask, pointing to the letters. Trish grins. "Austin, Ally, Trish."

The three of us sunbathe for about an hour before Dez finally begins to stir.

"Oh, gosh, I fell asleep!" He gasps, standing up. Trish snorts with laughter as she sees that his back is burnt to a crisp. "Man, my back hurts..." He groans. "Must have forgotten to put on sunscreen... I'll probably end up with sun poisoning..." He huffs and lays back down on his back... And his eyes get big. "What... Is on my back!" He jumps up once again, screaming like a little girl. We all laugh hysterically when we see the sunscreen smudged on his towel.

We all help him get the suncreen off of his back, giggling the whole time. He tries to act angry, but we know better. There's a smile crossing his face, and there's no way for Dez to be angry at us. I don't think I've ever seen Dez angry in my life.

We all go down to the ocean for a while and float and swim and play Marco-Polo. It's the most fun we've had together in a long time. It brings back memories. Lots and lots of memories of staying up too late on school nights, being chased by the cops, dancing around a radio on the beach, jumping off of bridges and cliffs... Things I would have never considered doing before attending MHS and meeting Austin and Dez.

Four hours pass, time closing in on us. Trish checks the clock on her phone and her eyes get big. "Dez, we should be going." She says, and Dez shrugs. "Whenever you want."

Trish begins gathering their stuff, and Dez reaches for his shirt. Austin stands up, watching them pack, and his eyes get heavy. Once everything is packed up and ready to go, the three friends stand there awkwardly. I continue sitting on my towel quietly, because this is their goodbye, not mine.

"Guys..." Austin sighs, crossing his arms. "I don't even know what to say. You're the best friends a guy could ever, ever ask for. Dez, buddy... I'll see you soon, real soon. Same for you, Trish. I'll come home to Miami every chance I possibly get."

It's silent, because what else is there to say. Then, Trish wraps Austin in a hug, and a single tear falls down her cheek. "Austin, I'll miss you. Have fun out there." Austin nods, his eyes clenched shut. Dez grins when they pull apart, and hold our his fist with his forefinger and thumb extended. Austin smiles, and they do their handshake one last time, and then wrap in to a bro hug. "You should come visit me at college sometime," Dez suggests, "I'll be leaving in about a week."

I feel guilty that, in the midst of everything, I've completely forgotten about Dez going off to college himself. I promised myself I would help him pack up, like I had Austin.

Trish and Dez head towards the bank without looking back. I glance at Austin, who has his fist to his mouth an his eyebrows furrowed. I get up and wrap him in a hug. He puts one arm around me and puts his face in my hair. "That hurt." He sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to deal with tonight."

I don't say anything, because I honestly don't know how I'm going to deal with it either.

"Do you want to stay here for a while, or go do something else?" I ask him, changing the subject. He shrugs. "Whatever you want to do, Ally." I shake my head. "This isn't my day, Austin, it's yours-" I'm cut off because he puts a finger to my lips, quieting me. "No, Ally. This is our day. You and me."

I smile up at him. "Then let's just go for a drive for a while or something. Later we can go back to your place and get showers and stuff before you... Have to go."

He just nods, then forces a smile. "Let's go!"

We gather up the stuff fast, and I giggle as he reaches for my hand and pulls me up the bank, just like he had so many days before, at that first party.

We throw everything in the back of the car, and get in to the front laughing. We drive all over Miami, passing a lot of milestones in our journey together. The highest bridge, the cliffs, the high school, that bank where Ian wrecked his truck, Dez's house, my house, and finally Austin's house. He sighs and cuts the engine.

"It's four. Let's go in and get showers and stuff, then we'll go watch a movie or two and eat dinner." I nod and help him carry everything inside. I'm shocked to see box upon box of things labeled "AUSTIN COLLEGE". I throw a hand over my mouth, and quickly take it awake. Nope, nope, nope. Now's not the time to cry. You can cry later, when he's gone. Don't let him see you cry, and especially don't let his parents see you crying.

Austin's mom hurries over to me when she sees my arms full of towels, a beach bag, and a cooler. "Here, sweetie, let me take that for you." She says with a grin, but I see the sympathy flash across her face. I just return the smile I make my way up to Austin's room with my own drawstring as Austin walks through the front door behind me.

I open the door to his room and wish I hadn't. It's blank. It's all gone. The only thing that remains is the paint on his walls. I sigh shakily and dump the contents of my bag in to his floor. I hear his footsteps behind me as I pick out my shorts, tanktop, and shoes from earlier. "Do you want me to go in your bathroom or Ian's?" I ask, and he shrugs. "It doesn't matter. There's no soap or anything in either one."

What was the point of showering if there was no soap? Oh well, I wouldn't mind just scrubbing this sunscreen off. "I'll go in Ian's bathroom." I volunteer, and make my way there. "Don't take too long!" He calls behind me. I shut the bathroom door, undress, put my purity and promise ring on the counter, and put my curled hair up in to a messy bun. I feel no need to get it wet in the shower. I would also be really careful and try not to smear my makeup.

I scrub all the lotion off of my body, glad I hadn't gotten sunburnt, unlike Dez. He would die when he saw what was on his back. Sure, he knew we had put something, but we never told him what it was.

I take a measly five minutes in the shower before climbing out and toweling off. I clothe myself quickly, and take my hair back down, trying to make it look decent again and adjusting the headband. I'm pleased to find that my makeup looks the same as it did when I got in. I tie on my Converse, double check myself, and walk out of the bathroom, throwing my towel in to the hamper on the way.

I hear Austin's voice coming up from downstairs, so I go to put my bathing suit and other contents back in to the drawstring bag before heading down, taking one last painful gimpse at Austin's blank, uninviting room.

We go straight down to the basemet, because the boxes are still in the floor, even though Austin's dad is about to go pack them in to the car. "I'll get dinner ready." Austin's mom suggests, and we just nod before going downstairs.

We don't turn on a movie. We don't even turn on a light. We just lay on the couch, holding each other. We don't speak a word. We just listen to each other's heartbeat, memorizing the sound, and storing it in to the back of our minds. I feel nothing in my heart. Absolutely nothing.

We're painfull reminded of reality when Austin's mom calls for us to come eat dinner. She made pancakes, which immiediently brightens his mood. I just smile, knowing that even if I'm not going to enjoy it, I'll have to eat these. I simply couldn't hurt her feelings.

We laugh and have a nice conversation with his parents, smiling the whole time. His parents even take the time to ask me what my own college plans are, and I tell the all about MUNY and my amazing story of getting my full scholarship. They gasp in amazement, congradulating me.

"Austin," his dad jokes, "how the heck are you going to pay for your own gas over there?" We all laugh, because we're all completely aware of just how spoiled Austin really was. I knew Ian would take good care of him, though. "I really wish you would have stayed and worked for me, son. But I'm very proud of you, and I'm glad that both of my son's will be living the dream in Beverly Hills. I can't wait to come visit you." Austin smiles. "Thanks, dad. That means a lot."

Mine and Austin's phones vibrate at the same time on the kitchen table. His parents look back and fourth from us before we open the message... From Dez.

It's a picture of a mirror shot of his back, with the mustache and "AAT" clearly visible. We both bust out laughing, and Austin pounds his fist on the table, tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. I show the picture to Austin's parents so that they won't question our sanity, and they laugh with us.

It was the best dinner I've ever eaten in my life.

After dinner, Austin and I help his mom wash the dishes while Austin's dad goes and packs up the rest of the boxes. We're completely speechless when he walks through the door and announces. "They're all in, bud. You ready?"

We glance at each other. Where has the day gone? Where has the summer gone? ... Where has the year gone?

He finally breaks his stare from my eyes and says. "Yeah, dad... What's the time?"

"Seven fifty-five."

Five minutes. That's how much time I had left with Austin.

Austin's mom began crying a lot as she hugged her son and said goodbye. She accounced that there was just absolutely no way she could watch him drive away, so she kissed him over and over again and finally went back to her bedroom, her face in her hands. Austin's face was misted over with sadness. His dad said goodbye next, being a whole lot calmer than his mom. "Do you want me to walk you out?" He asks, and Austin takes a minute before answering, "No, dad... I can take it from here." His dad nods solemnly, says bye once more, and follows in his wife's footsteps.

Austin and I walk out the door together, where we realize that he picked me up this morning... He'll have to drive me home. So we climb in, with those stupid boxs strewn all over the back seat. "Austin... Just take me to Sonic Boom. It's closer." He hesitates before nodding, because it was already past his time to be headed to the airport.

He walks me in, where my dad tells him a very quick goodbye, because he has a ton of customers at the counter. He walks me up to the practice room, where he shuts the door behind us. Where I burst in to tears and wrap my arms around his neck.

"I know." His voice breaks as he rubs my back. "I know, Ally, I know... I know." He quiets my sobs, and makes me pull back to look in to his eyes. "Ally. I love you. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

I force myself to nod as the tears continue to stream down my face. "I love you too. So much."

Finally, a tear falls down his own cheek.

"Just... Just don't let me go." He whispers. "Don't ever let me go."

"I won't!" I sob, pulling him in to another hug. He presses his lips hard on to my own. He just continues murmuring, "I love you... Don't let me go..."

I don't know how we manage to release from the hug. I don't know how I manage to watch him wipe those tears off of his face quickly. I don't know how I manage to even begin to say the word "Goodbye." and watch him walk out that door. Somehow, I do though. The tears don't stop falling, though. I collapse in the floor, right next to my pile of CD's. I don't know why I shuffle through that pile of CD's until I get to the bottom, and I find that song- our song- that now would never leave me. I put it in to the sound system, and I hit play.

_Some things we don't talk about_

_Rather do without_

_And just hold the smile_

_Falling in and out of love_

_The same damn problem_

_Together all the while_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_But time and time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Picture, you're the queen of everything_

_As far as the eye can see_

_Under your command_

_I will be your guardian_

_When all is crumbling_

_To steady your hand_

_You can never say never_

_While we don't know when_

_Time, time, time again_

_Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_We're pulling apart and coming together again and again_

_We're growing apart but we pull it together, pull it together, together again_

_Oh, don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go_

_Don't let me go..._

I knew that, no matter what was going to happen in our future, I would never, never let Austin Moon go. Some day, I had no doubt in my mind, we would meet again. It would be perfect. Time was key, now.

I would wait for him forever if I had to.

* * *

**A/N:** _GUYS! I can't believe it's finished! I just can't! AHH!** Please, please, leave me a final review!** I want to know what you guys think! I know you probably hate me right now, but still! THANK YOU to all the amazing viewers who stuck with me all the way through! You're the reason I write, and I love you all. :') After 745,000 views, I feel completely successful._

_BUT WAIT._

_The sequel! Don't forget about the sequel! I promised you guys information, so I will give it to you now. :)_

* * *

**The title:**

_"I Was Already Gone"._

**The Summary:**

_"Ten years is how long Ally Dawson and Austin Moon have been seperated. Their reunion is completely unexpected, and they don't really know what to say, because of all that has happened these past ten years. Yet, they can't deny their feelings for each other. They never let each other go. What will come out of rushing in to marriage?"_

**Other information:**

_It will be written in both Austin and Ally's point of view instead of just Ally's._

* * *

_THAT IS ALL I'M TELLING YOU. :) I can't wait to begin writing when I get out of school! **Once again, PLEASE leave me a finalizing review!** if I could get fifty MY LIFE WOULD BE MADE._

_THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!_

_The sequel will be coming soon. :)_


	54. Sequel is posted!

**Hey, lovely followers!**

**Just wanted to inform you that the sequel has been posted :)**

**I'd love if you would go check it out!**

**Thanks! xo**


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